2023-09-27 13:55:00
Andros Townsend is a familiar name to the average football fan, especially to those who love English football. At 32 years old and with a career spent mostly in the Premier League, the England international sees the reputation of injuries hindering his journey that could have found a new destination at Burnley, the club he had experience with in the last pre-season, where he even faced Benfica.
«It was probably one of the toughest conversations I’ve had in my career. If I was feeling bad and knew I wasn’t going to get the contract, I wouldn’t have prepared like I did. I looked for houses, schools, I even talked about the number for the shirt…», said the player by way of introduction, to the Monday Night Clubyes BBC Radio 5.
«Then they told me that the contract was no longer on the table. That shook my world. I presented my arguments, I said that it gave something different, that I didn’t mind being a rotation player, that I would create a good atmosphere even if I didn’t play”, he further explained.
With the Burnley hypothesis put aside, after the conversation with Vincent Kompany, Townsend did not give up on finding a job, something that has proven to be a complicated task, given his clinical record.
«On the last day of the market, I was in Turkey from morning to night. An agent told me “it’s 100% guaranteed”. I waited all day and it didn’t happen. It’s been a month, people keep giving me false hope. A random agent told me that a Saudi third division club and its president were desperate to sign me,” he continued.
«After thinking about it, I was interested in just playing football again. I called him the next morning, on the day the market closed there, to set up a meeting. Then the president said he didn’t want to hire anyone”, he lamented.
«The situation is due to the fact that I haven’t played an official game in a year and a half. Therefore, due to my age and lack of minutes, English clubs don’t want to take risks. I looked abroad, I thought that clubs would be interested in signing a player with my experience, but the story of the lack of minutes returned”, he cemented, before concluding the story around his situation.
«A ligament injury is very complex and when players are in the final stages of their careers, they sometimes do not fully recover. Coaches don’t want to have players on trial mid-season, as that sends a message that they don’t trust those who are there. I’m waiting for the phone to ring…», he concluded.
#continue #give #false #hope #zerozero.pt