Burke bounces back and is now aiming higher
Scotland’s most- expensive player, Oliver Burke, has revealed how his ill- fated spell in Germany was affecting his confidence before he resurrected his career following his £15m move to West Brom.
Burke helped Scotland’s Under-21s to a 2-0 midweek win in Latvia in their Euro 2019 qualifier, scoring one of the goals.
He endured a frustrating time at RB Leipzig after his original £ 13m move from Nottingham Forest and made just five starts for the Bundesliga runners- up last term, in which he was subbed in all of them.
The 20-year-old has revealed the moment he knew for sure his time in Germany was coming to an end.
Burke said: “When I spoke to the people at the club, from what they were saying I could tell it just wasn’t happening for us.
“I wasn’t happy. I felt as if I’d had a very successful pre-season and that things were going well.
“But I wasn’t given an opportunity after that, and I couldn’t see my career moving forward at RB Leipzig.
“Germany was a great experience. Being in a new country, you learn a lot about yourself. I feel that I’ve become a better player from going there.
“But now I need to play more games to get my confidence back to where it was before. I need to start enjoying my football again – and it starts now.
“The last year has been very frustrating for me, not having the game time and losing my confidence.
“I’ve been a bit down, really. But I feel I can pick myself up again in a country that I know and at a great club like West Brom.
“I feel I can really kick on now, and if I play and score goals for Scotland Under-21s, that will only help.”
Burke insists he doesn’t see his £15m price tag as a burden, and said: “I just don’t look at it at. I train hard and take each day as it comes. I don’t think about how much I moved for, or that I’m Scotland’s most-expensive player.
“There’s so much money in the game now, players are going for a lot more. It’s normal.
“But the hard work doesn’t stop now. I’m still very focused and I want to get the very best out of myself.
“If I can get into the West Brom side and play well, I then want to get myself back in the full Scotland team.
“I feel I’m capable of it, but I have to prove myself again. The harder I work, the more successful I’ll be.”
Burke has only just recovered from a hamstring injury and could have easily pulled out of the trip to the Baltic outpost.
But he stressed: “I’m the captain and I wanted to be there. The staff at West Brom had suggested only playing in one of the games and to miss the other one.
“But I felt I had it in me to play in both and to make an impact. The squad has come a long way and we’d already beaten Holland at home.
“It was two testing games against England and Latvia, but it was a great result over there.”