Alexander Hleb says he is happy at Birmingham City
Birmingham City midfielder Alexander Hleb has revealed that he is happy at the English Premier League club, dispelling rumours that he was disillusioned with life under Alex McLeish.
The attacker, who arrived at the Blues during the summer, is on loan from Spanish champions Barcelona and was seen as a major signing for McLeish. Several pundits expressed surprise that Hleb would move from one of the giants of the European game to Birmingham,
who many have tipped to be fighting a relegation battle this year and are not known for their skillful play.
However, the Belarus international told Birmingham’s official website that he was content in the Midlands.
The 29-year-old said, "I am very happy, really happy. We have a very good coach. The team, the players — fantastic. Everything's good and I feel at home. I love it here at Birmingham and I enjoy everything. Of course, we need to give a bit more in the games
because we want to win, but we need to work hard on that."
"From the first day, it felt as if I'd knew the players for a long time. The coaching staff were fantastic with me and everybody at the club is very nice. I never thought I'd settle so quickly, but it's happened and I'm very happy."
His club manager McLeish readily conceded that playing at Birmingham was a far different prospect for Hleb than playing alongside household names such as Lionel Messi and Xavi Hernandez, but he believes that the player will soon begin to shine for the Blues.
"I think he's still striving to find his match fitness. I thought in the (2-0 loss on 2 October to) Everton, the longer it went on the stronger and stronger he got and that would have helped him towards that goal. He has still to find his top level and hopefully
when he does that, the whole team will find its top level."
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