Marc Roca has opened the door to a potential La Liga return in the future while insisting that he currently remains committed to helping Leeds United avoid the drop in the Premier League, speaking to Mundo Deportivo.
Manchester United’s new number 15 Marcel Sabitzer is not the only talented central midfielder who boarded a flight to England after finding starts hard to come by at Bayern Munich.
Roca, during two years at the Allianz Arena, was included in Julian Nagelsmann’s Bundesliga XI on just six occasions. He’s already made three times as many starts since joining Leeds for a cool £10 million in June, even if Roca is yet to fully establish himself as a player capable of pulling the strings and dictating the tempo on the Premier League stage.
“I had a very fast adaptation. Maybe if I had gone directly from Espanyol to Leeds it would have cost me more. But, having spent two years in Munich, I felt prepared from the first moment,” Roca explains.
“They were two years of a very big physical evolution. And, from the first moment, I felt very prepared. It is true, in that the first three or four games, it difficult for me to endure the 90 minutes. But, honestly, I did not think at any time that it was difficult for me to adapt.”
Marc Roca enjoying a decent first season at Leeds United
He’s had his moments, but Roca is yet to truly recapture the form that once made him one of La Liga’s brightest young talents at Espanyol. Roca, who idolises Sergio Busquets and Xabi Alonso, was linked with Arsenal and Liverpool for a spell back in 2020.
The player himself, meanwhile, is refusing to ‘rule out’ a return to Spain at some point in the future. That can wait for the time being, however; Roca determined to ensure he is still a Premier League player in 2024 as Leeds glance nervously over their shoulder at the relegation zone.
“There was some possibility (of returning to Spain before moving to Elland Road). But a series of movements had to be made. In that case, I had the option of Leeds. It fit me perfectly,” Roca adds.
“I don’t rule out returning to LaLiga in the future, but I’m enjoying the Premier a lot. I am very comfortable.”
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