Lukas Podolski is no longer contemplating leaving Bayern Munich - at least not until the winter break.

Lukas Podolski is no longer contemplating leaving Bayern Munich - at least not until the winter break.

The 23-year-old striker was heavily criticised by his club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge on Tuesday and told to show his commitment to the club and concentrate on playing football rather than speculating about his future.

And 24 hours later Podolski has done just that, deferring all thoughts of leaving until a move is feasible.

"Mr Rummenigge has every right to criticise me - I am one of his players," he said.

"Of course I want to play, and right now I am not thinking of anything else. I am not going to think of a transfer until the winter."

Right now, Podolski is training with the Germany national team ahead of their World Cup qualifiers against Russia and Wales.

Podolski is still one of the first names on Germany coach Joachim Low's team sheet, which is a vital source of encouragement for the striker as he endures a difficult period at club level.

"Jogi Low is as convinced of my abilities as I am," he added in the Bild newspaper.

"We both know what I can do and I was not a regular for FC Bayern before Euro 2008, but I still played every single game and presented myself well.

"It does me good (to be with the national team) because it clears my thoughts.

"When you play 90 minutes now and again, you get more chances as a rule and that makes playing for the national team more enjoyable."

Nevertheless, playing a full 90 minutes of football is a rarity these days.

Bayern coach Jurgen Klinsmann has used Podolski only twice for the full duration of a match - on the opening day of the season when Luca Toni was injured, and when Podolski scored, and during the 5-2 defeat at home to Werder Bremen.

"Whenever I have played from the beginning, I have performed, but unfortunately that has not been the case very often recently," added the former Cologne striker who is now concentrating on helping Germany move closer to the 2010 World Cup.

"Russia will be a very important duel for us. We want to win it, but it will be tough.

"The games against Russia are like deciders for first place, but we cannot underestimate other teams, where you can still drop points."

That is exactly what Germany did in Helsinki last month in a 3-3 draw with Finland.

They still lead qualifying Group 4, but only by a point from Russia, who have a game in hand, and their next opponents Wales, who they face in Monchengladbach next Wednesday.