Former Crystal Palace midfielder Max Meyer has insisted he does not regret his time at the club despite a disappointing spell in London.
Meyer left at the end of January, bringing an end to a miserable two-and-a-half-year spell with the Eagles.
He had arrived in a free transfer from Schalke in 2018 and made a solid start to life with the club but soon drifted off, struggling to feature under Roy Hodgson both last season and now.
That led the two to decide to part ways last month, with Meyer keen to reinvigorate his career elsewhere and Palace happy to get his wages off the books.
Not playing regularly was a new sensation for the German, who admits he finds it hard to explain why he wasn’t in favour.
“There were ups and downs in London, of course, in the end, it went more downhill, also with my personal situation, because I didn’t play anymore,” he told Sport 1.
“The first year and a half or two years were fine; I played my games regularly.
“You shouldn’t underestimate this task, because the Premier League is a top league with very strong clubs, many good players and sometimes a special style of play.
“The bottom line is that I’ve learned an incredible amount during my time at Crystal Palace.
“It is difficult for any footballer to be completely left out and no longer able to play.
“That was totally unfamiliar for me. Not being needed is difficult to accept. It wasn’t an easy time.”
Given Meyer has essentially wasted two years of the key years of his career with Crystal Palace, it would not be surprising if he were bitter about the move.
After all, football careers are short for some players and not playing regularly can be devastating, particularly when you believe you’re good enough to be playing regularly.
He, though, insists that he no such regrets and believes he learned plenty from his time at Selhurst Park.
“No. I definitely do not regret the step,” he added.
“The league is very cool. It was a very educational time and, for the most part, was a lot of fun.
“Almost every weekend there was an absolute top game, and you play twelve times a season against the top 6 of the league.
“That’s good fun. I was also able to learn a lot independently of football.”
