Christos Tzolis revealed Gus Poyet made a personal trip to end his exile from the Greece national squad, with the on-loan Norwich City winger’s country now one game from the European Championships.

Tzolis’ lack of match action during his Canaries' career had seen him drop out of the international set up, but 22 goal contributions in 23 loan appearances in Germany’s second tier for Fortuna Dusseldorf earned him a recall.

The 22-year-old was an unused substitute in last week’s 5-0 home play-off win over Kazakhtan for Poyet's squad that set up a winner-takes-all trip to Georgia on Tuesday.

Tzolis’ future at club level is set to be decided this summer, with plenty of reported Bundesliga interest, but a high profile tournament appearance would cap a comeback season.

"Who doesn't dream of being at the Euros with the national team? It's a big goal,” he said, with fellow Norwich club and international team mate Dimi Giannoulis ruled out with a hamstring injury. “From the first moment I was in the men's national team, at the age of 18, there was this atmosphere that exists and is getting even better now.

"It looks like we are a team and I think we will show it on the pitch as well. It means a lot to me this week.

“It is very important to be in the national team and it was very important that the coach invited me to meet him when he came to Dusseldorf. I didn't expect that he would come to find me. I expected that he might call me on the phone, so it was even better that he came and we talked in person.

"He clarified the plan for me. He told me that he is happy with my course so far and that in the next few weeks he has a plan, but he did not tell me that he will definitely call me (into these squads).”

Former Chelsea midfield stalwart Poyet is bidding to secure Greece’s first appearance at the finals of a major tournament in a decade, to mark the 20th anniversary of their surprise Euro2004 triumph.

“If you had given me the chance two years ago to have one match in order to go to the Euros. I would take it,” he said, quoted by AP. “Greece have been absent from the Euros for too long. “What everybody is talking about is that 2024 marks the 20th anniversary. It is a good coincidence and we will try our best.

“I know the mentality of Greek people. Sometimes they are too down, sometimes they are too high. We need to control the emotion (in this game).”

The winners of Tuesday’s tie in Eastern Europe will join Portugal, Turkey and Croatia in a pool section later this year at the finals in Germany.