Adama Traore: 'I was not given chance at Barcelona'

Adama Traore has claimed that Barcelona did not give him a fair chance to succeed at Camp Nou.

The 20-year-old, now with Premier League side Middlesbrough, joined Barcelona at the age of eight and progressed through the youth ranks at the Spanish giants before making four senior appearances.

Despite being highly rated at Camp Nou, the attacker was sold to Aston Villa in 2015 and although the former Spain Under-19 international is grateful to Barcelona, he does not believe that he was given a fair chance to prove himself.

"I left because I was not given an opportunity. If I had it I could say what I lacked. Nor did they tell me why. They made me stay at Barca B, where I had been for two years, and my mentality was to keep growing. I just asked them to let me show if I had the right level to be there or not," Traore told Mundo Deportivo.

"No one spoke to me. I would have liked someone to have given me an explanation. I respect and understand Barcelona. Everyone makes their decisions - they had the best three strikers in the world so I had to look for alternatives. But that is the past. Now I'm focused on my work to be one of the best.

"My mentality now is to become a top player and for that I work every day. Over time, we'll see if Barca made the right decision, but I'm not upset. Barca gave me everything and I will always be thankful for everything I learned and that they taught me."

Traore is yet to score in 12 Premier League appearances for Middlesbrough this season.