Baptistao: I hoped to play more

Leo Baptistao has admitted he is finding it frustrating at Atletico Madrid and had hoped to play more.

The Brazilian striker was signed in the summer for an undisclosed fee from Rayo Vallecano and so far this season has appeared in five La Liga games and a Champions League clash with Zenit St Petersburg, in which he scored.

However, despite a total of just 115 minutes under his belt, the 21-year-old claims he is happy at the club and has been amazed at just how big an institution it is.

“It is better than I expected in everything: matches, victories, teammates…It could not be any better,” Baptistao told Marca.

“It has surpassed all my expectations. It surprised me right from the start of pre-season and you realise what a big jump it is from Rayo to Atletico.

“This is the third club in Spain and is well-known throughout Europe, so the responsibility is very noticeable.

“However, I had hoped to play more as I’m very ambitious, but I’ll keep working and learning from the players and the boss.

“Simeone does not give explanations. He has a problem in that he has a lot of very good players to choose from and has to pick who is doing well,” explained Baptistao.