Roberto Soldado was sold by Tottenham in 2015 during Mauricio Pochettino’s reign at the club.
He is now 35 and playing for Granada in La Liga, having recovered after his unsuccessful spell in England.
Soldado said in the Guardian that he put too much pressure on himself when he was at Spurs.
He feels he’d do better if he had his time again, but for the time being he’s just focused on beating Manchester United in the Europa League.
“Before coming to Granada, I wasn’t right mentally. That last year in Turkey I spoke to my wife about retiring. Now, I’m enjoying it so much. I appreciate football more. Before I was too competitive, demanding. You need a limit.
“We talked about the pressure I put on myself at Tottenham; if I was there now, I’d handle it differently, calmer. I’m sure I’d perform better.
“With experience, you realise it doesn’t help but back then I would put my ego above the team. Not now. I found a great club with great staff and great teammates.
“The English game is very physical, fast, and world football is moving that way, which may be why Premier League clubs are a step above. United are quick from box to box, direct, which isn’t our style.”
Soldado was part of a Spurs side who won at Old Trafford in 2014, and will hope to use that experience tonight.
It won’t be lost on some Spurs fans that Soldado is still in the Europa League this season, while they are out.
Soldado was under immense pressure to succeed at Spurs and it just didn’t work out for him.
His comments show it wasn’t for the lack of trying, and in the next seven days, he has the chance to catch the eye of some English football observers again.
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