Football: Holtby has no regrets joining Hamburg

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Football: Holtby has no regrets joining Hamburg
Jens Todt, Hamburg SV, Sports Director and Lewis Holtby speaks during a Press conference at the Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai on Sunday.

Dubai - Hotlby went on to play for Tottenham and Fulham before returning to the German top flight

By James Jose

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Published: Sun 8 Jan 2017, 9:24 PM

Last updated: Sun 8 Jan 2017, 11:35 PM

German midfielder Lewis Holtby said that he had no regrets about joining SV Hamburg despite the club's tryst with relegation over the past few years.
Hotlby, whose first big move was to Bundesliga club Schalke 04, then went on to play for English Premiership clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham. He then made a return to the German top flight with Hamburg, on a loan spell, before making it permanent last year.
And despite being only 26 and a long future ahead of him, Holtby said that does not live in the past.
"I don't see it as a breakdown in my future. I don't live in the past, I live in the present and I'm very thankful for the time I've had here at Hamburg. I loved playing there (England) and it was a dream come true. But now, I'm here in the Bundesliga, which is one of the best leagues in the world," Holtby said at the Al Maktoum Stadium on Sunday evening.
Hamburg are in Dubai as part of a winter training camp before they return to Germany to stave off relegation. They are currently training at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex.
Hamburg will take on Dubai club Al Nasr in a one-off fixture of the inaugural Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Challenge Cup on Monday.
"I've learnt a lot, in football, in life, and my time (with Hamburg) has brought me more forward than backwards. So, I don't think about the past, what happened five years ago. I'm sitting here right now with my club which I'm representing and that's my aim. And now, our objective is to get out of the last three, to move forward, to play good football and to get points," he added.
Meanwhile, talking about the game on the morrow, Holtby said: "I think tomorrow's (Sunday) game is going to be a very exciting test for us. We are very happy to be here and we had a very nice welcome here to Dubai. The facilities here are awesome and outstanding and we are very thankful for that," said Holtby, capped three times by Germany.
"We are looking forward to the game, our first game of 2017. And it is going to be a very interesting test for us. And such tests are always good for us, especially in pre-season and a short pre-season," he added.
james@khaleejtimes.com


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