Ex-Barcelona man Alen Halilovic on his frustrating time at Hamburg
He signed for the Bundesliga club last summer in a 5 million euro move from Barcelona but only made one start
However he is finding his feet and his form at Las Palmas after being sent there on an 18 month loan deal
Former Barcelona starlet Alen Halilovic has hit out at the lack of opportunities he got in Hamburg before being loaned to Las Palmas.
He signed for the Bundesliga club last summer in a 5 million euro move from Barcelona but only made one start before they sent him to the Canary Islands on an 18-month loan.
"No, they didn't explain to me [why I didn't get many chances]," said the Croatian, speaking to reporters after Las Palmas' 4-3 defeat at Espanyol on Friday.
"But I think because it's a different mentality. They didn't think as I think, the style of football, what I want and what they want and that's a problem when coach think one thing and when player think other thing.
"I think if I get chance there I don't know if I play good or bad, but I think one game is not a chance. They promised that they would give me a chance, that I am a project, but I am a young player, I am only 20 years old.
"I mean I choose Hamburg; I was very happy when I came there but we start the season bad, we lost a lot of games and it was bad for the team and after they changed mentality, we defend more, we don't play football, we don't make chances and I think for a player like me, it was a struggle."
Asked if he suited Spain's style more than Germany's, he replied: "I can't tell that because I didn't play too much.
"I mean, if I play 10 or 15 games maybe as a starter I can tell if maybe it's better for me. But I only played one match as a starter in Hamburg, but I prefer [Spain], I think it's good for me.
"Especially this team because we are playing good football. But I am always a fan of Hamburg and I hope they stay up."
He added that he was now "only thinking about Las Palmas" and that he was now "very comfortable".
