Omar Abdulrahman, the Al Ain and UAE international, has again stated his desire to one day play in Europe, yet for the moment he is happy at the Garden City club.
The playmaker, 22, has long been viewed as the most talented player in Emirates football and has previously attracted offers from several prominent European clubs. Last summer, Arsenal invited him on trial, but Al Ain were said to favour a more permanent move.
Speculation regarding Abdulrahman’s future has subsided in the past year – he was affected by injury and a subsequent loss of form in 2013/14 – although several Spanish sides have supposedly retained an interest.
Speaking to Al Ain’s official website while at the club’s training camp in Montecatini, Italy, Abdulrahman said: “Now I’m concentrating on my team’s matches in the coming season, but each footballer has a wish to play for one of the big teams in Europe. But I’m still young and I know I must double my efforts to reach my target.
“There is no specific date for my professional career and I will take it as it comes. I know I will be fully supported by our sheikhs.”
In the immediate future, Abdulrahman is tasked with helping Al Ain negotiate next month’s Asian Champions League quarter-final tie against Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad. The first leg is at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on August 19.
“Any Al Ain player aspires to play in all competitions and win all titles each season, and the biggest challenge in this new season is the Asian Champions League,” he said.
“I wish we can be as good as we should be. The two teams know each other well and both include distinguished players, as they played against each other in the group stage. But the quarter-final is different and Al Ittihad are well known and deserve all appreciation.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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