Fewer than 10 starts in all competitions for Marc Roca across two seasons at Bayern Munich may raise some red flags, but he feels Germany has made him more ready for Leeds United, not less. Victor Orta has not been afraid to go after players who have seen limited action for their clubs.
Jean-Kevin Augustin arrived at Leeds in January 2020 off the back of 17 starts in the previous 18 months. In September 2020, when Michael Cuisance was on the verge of an Elland Road switch, he had four starts in the previous two years behind him.
Last summer, Junior Firpo arrived from Barcelona with 22 starts across his last two terms with the Nou Camp giants. Out-of-favour options make for better value in the market, of course, and Roca is confident he has the tools to prove Orta’s instincts about him are right.
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Injuries have not been a problem for Roca, he has simply been at one of the best clubs in Europe and stuck behind some of the continent’s best midfielders. The 25-year-old sees the changes he made adapting to the Bundesliga as a huge plus in his coming transition to the Premier League.
“Yes, I improved a lot [in Germany],” he said. “Maybe I don’t have a lot of games to show it, but when I play, I do it very well.
“Now is the time to be here, to train hard, to give more opportunities. Physically, I grew a lot in Germany. It’s very different football in Germany than in Spain.
“In Spain, it’s more technical, in Germany it’s more physical and I gained five kilos in my body weight as well. I’m ready to be here.”
Roca acknowledges how little he played with Bayern and feels this was the right time for him to move away and try something new. Asked if he had a point to prove, he said: “Yes, of course.
“Everyone wants to play always, but I stayed two years in Germany, I grew a lot and became a better football player. I stayed in Bayern Munich, an incredible team. Now it’s time to be here and do my best.”
