All Whites midfielder Sarpreet Singh hopes a reunion with his former coach will reboot his season with German Bundesliga 2 club Hansa Rostock.
Hansa Rostock are in a relegation battle, third from the foot of the table, and have replaced coach Alois Schwartz with Mersad Selimbegovic.
Singh played under Selimbegovic (41) when they were both at SSV Jahn Regensburg between 2021 and 2023.
Main photo: Sarpreet Singh … hoping for more game time under new coach.
In the first half of the current season, Singh has struggled for game time, making six appearances off the bench for only 80 minutes on the pitch.
“It wasn’t how I planned it,” Singh told Liga2 Online.
“I couldn’t understand why I didn’t play so often. Normally you think, ‘we haven’t won that many games and we’re at the bottom of the table, you get a chance’ — but It wasn’t like that. That was difficult.”
Auckland-born Singh joined Hansa Rostock on a three-year contract in June 2023.
READ MORE: All Whites midfielder Sarpreet Singh signs for German club Hansa Rostock >>>>
Singh (24) says he believes Selimbegovic can lead the team in the right direction, when the German season resumes after its mid-season break on January 20.
Singh says Hansa Rostock “needed new ideas, a new philosophy.”
He’s confident the team can climb clear of trouble with Selimbegovic whose coaching contract remains valid only if the club remains in the German second tier.
“Now it’s a new chapter, I want to write it as well as possible,” Singh says.
“A new start, a new coach. I’m ready; I want to show what I can.”
All Whites’ next fixtures
Singh’s next potential appearance for the All Whites is in late March when New Zealand take part in the four-nation W Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
READ MORE: All Whites to play two games at UAE tournament in March international window >>>>