Middlesbrough winger Adama Traore has claimed he was never given a proper chance to prove himself at Barcelona during his time at the Camp Nou.
The 20-year-old made only four first-team appearances for the Blaugrana after graduating through La Masia youth system and prospering in their B side, before being allowed to join Aston Villa in 2015.
"I didn't leave Barca well," Traore told Mundo Deportivo.
"I left because I wasn't given an opportunity. If I had been given one, maybe I could say what I lacked.
"They didn't tell me why [he was leaving]. They made me stay with 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 [in the first team] or not. But I didn't demand anything because that has to be earned day-to-day in training.
"No one spoke to me, though. I would have liked someone to have given me an explanation."
The Spanish winger endured a tough time at Villa, suffering an injury-hit season as his side finished bottom of the table, before joining newly-promoted Boro this summer.
"Villa were going through a difficult time as well, but it was my first experience in professional football and I realised that it can be tough, too, because not everything is Barca,” he explained.
"Now at Boro I'm playing more and more. At the beginning I was given time to get used to the style, which is a little more defensive than at Villa, but I'm happy because my objective was to come and play."
