Marc Roca was on loan at Real Betis from Leeds United last season.
The La Liga club were convinced with the midfielder’s displays and decided to bet on him. In the summer window, Real Betis signed him from Leeds on a permanent transfer.
Radio Marca Sevilla have had a chat with the 26-year-old about various topics. This included his time at Real Betis whilst on loan from Leeds, and the difficulties he faced last season.
The Spaniard clocked in 2,744 minutes from 37 games, managing four goals and three assists in the process.
Manuel Pellegrini wasn’t able to rely upon the former Leeds man regularly in the league in the second half of last season. Roca struggled with illness and injury, which restricted him to nine league appearances.
The former Bayern Munich man has now opened up about the difficult period he endured whilst on loan from Leeds United.
“It was pneumonia. In the end I was almost hospitalised. Then I was very weak for two weeks, in bed. In the end I gradually came out of it and it did leave me a bit weak. But well, like everything in life, in the end sometimes you have to stop because your body asks you to, your body speaks to you. I had to stop and that’s it,” he said.
“Then I came back and it’s true that after that I had been accumulating discomfort in my ankle for a long time. And in the end in February or March we decided to stop and we had a short break which was also necessary. But now I’m better, so I’m happy.”
Roca has started in all three league games this season. He’s pleased to have joined Real Betis on a permanent transfer from Daniel Farke’s side.
“Since I arrived at Betis I felt at home and the truth is that I am very happy,” Roca explained.
“In the end it is a huge club. You can feel the affection of the fans, people, from the first minute I stepped foot at Villamarín. And the truth is that also in my career I needed stability, a place to settle, to grow, and I think it is the perfect place.”
