"I spoke to Savage Monday morning and explained to him that he would not be in the squad for the two World Cup games with Austria," said Toshack.
"I told him I wanted to have a look at something else. He said he was retiring anyway and the line went dead.
"I felt it was important that I rang him [Savage] before I announced the squad. There has been a lot of speculation and I can only say what has happened."
Toshack today named his squad for the World Cup 2006 double header qualifiers against the Austrians in Cardiff on March 26th and again in Vienna four days later.
Full Squad: Coyne (Burnley), Jones (Wolves), Price (Ipswich), Delaney (Aston Villa), J.Collins (Cardiff), D.Collins (Sunderland), Page (Cardiff), Gabbidon (Cardiff), Edwards (Wolves), Partridge (Motherwell), Ricketts (Swansea), Roberts (Tranmere), Davies (Tottenham), Fletcher (West Ham), Williams (West Ham), Koumas (West Brom), Earnshaw (West Brom), Giggs (Man Utd), Robinson (Sunderland), Bellamy (Newcastle - on loan to Celtic), Hartson (Celtic).