Advertisement

Mainz's Szalai wants to stay on despite suspension-advisor

FILE PHOTO: International Friendly - Hungary v Uruguay

BERLIN (Reuters) - Mainz 05 forward Adam Szalai, whose suspension this week triggered a one-day training strike by his teammates, wants to stay at the Bundesliga club, his advisor said on Friday.

The club said on Thursday, Szalai, who is in his second stint at Mainz and has a contract to 2021, was suspended because he was no longer needed and that coach Achim Beierlorzer had told the Hungary forward he should start looking for a new club.

"We will stick to our position and will enforce that Adam is allowed to return to training next week," the player's advisor Oliver Fischer told several German media. "He will not be looking for a new club. He feels part of Mainz and part of the team."

Szalai's teammates on Wednesday refused to train following his suspension and the incident triggered emergency talks between club bosses and the team on Thursday.

The club said in a news conference the players, who returned to training on Thursday, would face consequences for their refusal to train but did not provide any details.

Szalai played for Mainz from 2010-13 and returned again last year. Mainz host VfB Stuttgart on Saturday.

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)