Bakkali plays down CL snub

Zakaria Bakkali insists he has no qualms with Nuno Santo's decision to leave him out of Valencia's Champions League squad.

The recent arrival from PSV was not named among the 23 men selected by the Coach for Los Che's upcoming campaign in Europe's elite club competition, but he claims the snub has made him want to work even harder in training.

“I'm only thinking about training, training and more training,” the forward told Voetbal Magazine.

“I'm not thinking about the Champions League. I received around 15 attractive offers in the summer but only wanted to play in Spain.

“I didn't join [Valencia] for the money but their long-term project. Valencia were the best choice for me and I was right.

“I can develop here. My objective is to enjoy the minutes I get and be focused.

“I was portrayed as an enfant terrible in the Netherlands but mentally I'm an adult and I've become smarter.

“If I was given a second chance, I still wouldn't have signed a new contract with PSV.”

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