The right-back had a groin operation this winter, but said the procedure should have been taken care of last season
Kieran Trippier has hit out at former club Tottenham, saying they forced him to delay a needed groin surgery last season.
Trippier struggled with form and injuries during the 2018-19 campaign – his final season with the north London outfit.
The England international joined Atletico Madrid last summer in a £20 million ($25m) deal and has made 26 appearances for the La Liga outfit this season.
Trippier has been mostly healthy during his debut campaign with Atletico, but he missed seven games in January and February after undergoing groin surgery.
The 29-year-old, though, has said he should have undergone that operation last season and has hit out at Spurs for forcing him to delay the procedure.
“I certainly feel I am a better player than I was last season at Tottenham. Last season was a difficult moment because I was struggling with injuries,” Trippier told the Mirror.
“It is not an excuse because I was not hiding about it. But I struggled for months with my groin and pelvis and I eventually had surgery just after the winter break in Spain in January.
“Because of the timing of the break and the operation I was only out for a few weeks and now I feel so much better.
“I should have had it last season at Spurs but people didn’t want me to have it then. I had so many issues with the last season there and about the way I performed and struggled with injuries.
“It got to a point where I had to have surgery this season and really I should have had it done last season. But there were so many important games…I don’t really want to go into it.”
The defender went on to say he is happy he made the jump to Spain, saying he is particularly happy to be working under Atletico manager Diego Simeone, whom he called “Mister”.
“I am absolutely loving it at the moment and that is the most important thing,” Trippier continued. “The culture and the football are so different to England. La Liga is totally different to the Premier League.
“I had to improve on my defending and that was something I openly admitted last season.
“And now I know there is no one better to learn from than ‘Mister’. He is unbelievable with the team and individually. It is a joy to play for him.”
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