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By Gennady Fyodorov
MOSCOW, May 18 (Reuters) - Zenit St Petersburg midfielder Igor Denisov has turned down an invitation to join Russia's provisional squad for Euro 2008, coach Guus Hiddink said on Sunday.
Hiddink was so impressed with Denisov's performance in helping Zenit beat Rangers 2-0 in Wednesday's UEFA Cup final that he wanted to add the young winger to his 25-man squad.
Denisov, who turned 24 on Saturday, scored Zenit's first goal in Manchester.
"We invited him to join the team but he rejected the offer. Well, it's his choice," the Dutchman told reporters.
Hiddink said he would keep the door open for Denisov in the future, however.
"Probably he felt he wasn't ready yet to be a regular player on the national team, but we'll keep him in mind when we start our 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign," he said.
Hiddink said that Zenit's UEFA Cup triumph should have a positive effect on his team for Euro 2008.
"The win was a huge boost for all Russian football but more importantly, it showed our young team nothing is impossible," Hiddink told Reuters as the Russians began their preparations for next month's finals in Austria and Switzerland.
"If you believe in yourself, have a solid strategy, play aggressive attacking football and not have 10 men behind the ball, then you can overcome even the most improbable odds."
FIRST TROPHY
Unfancied Zenit, coached by fellow Dutchman Dick Advocaat, overcame Villarreal, Olympique Marseille and Bayer Leverkusen in the early rounds before stunning four-time European champions Bayern Munich 5-1 on aggregate in the semi-final to qualify for their first European cup final.
Hiddink was especially pleased with the form of Zenit's six Russian internationals.
Playmaker Andrei Arshavin was voted the Man of the Match after setting up both goals while midfielder Konstantin Zyrianov scored in stoppage time to seal the win.
Striker Pavel Pogrebnyak missed the final through suspension but still finished as the competition's joint top scorer with 10 goals.
The Russians, who are in Group D with holders Greece, Spain and Sweden, will train for two weeks in Moscow before moving to Germany for their final training camp leading up to Euro 2008, which starts on June 7.
