Ter Stegen admits he may leave Barcelona for more minutes
Tired at sharing duties between the sticks with Claudio Bravo, Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has hinted that he may seek a regular starting role elsewhere.
The German international joined from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2014 but has failed to don the gloves on a regular basis in La Liga duty as manager Luis Enrique opts to rotate his shot stoppers.
"I want to take the next step and to play more. So the situation is clear: If nothing changes, we have to talk," Ter Stegen told TZ on Friday, with translation from ESPN FC.
Ter Stegen is currently in Joachim Low's national team camp for friendlies against England on Saturday and Italy on Tuesday, but if he is ever to usurp first-choice Manuel Neuer - widely dubbed as the finest in his position - the 23-year-old is likely to have to impress over a busier club campaign.
League matters are often left in the hands of Bravo, while Ter Stegen is often fielded in the cup competitions.
"At the end of the season I'll have played about 25 games. This is not a little, but when I return from the national team, I'll probably be back on the bench in La Liga, for the Clasico against Real Madrid (on April 2)," he added. "In the long run, these 25 games per season are not enough for me.
"The decision is made by the coach. I hope that the quality I've shown recently is rewarded."
Ter Stegen is most likely to be named in the starting XI at club level on April 5, when Atletico Madrid visits in the first leg of its Champions League quarter-final meeting.
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