Crocked Elia lashes out at Hamburg

Hamburg midfielder Eljero Elia has criticised his club for unnecessarily dragging out his injury agony as he bids to return to full fitness.

Elia has undergone surgery in his native Holland on an ankle injury which has been troubling him for several months.

The Holland international feels he should have gone under the knife before Christmas but that he was prevented from doing so by his club, much to the 23-year-old's frustration.

"I was pushing to get treated in Holland before the winter, but the people in charge at HSV didn't want me to," he told the Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper.

"If they had allowed that, I would be fit again now."

To add insult to injury, Elia feels he has been abandoned by his club since the operation took place last Friday.

"Nobody has contacted me and that saddens me," he added.

Elia has played 23 games for Hamburg this season, scoring five goals before the pain in his ankle got too much for him after the defeat to Bayer Leverkusen 10 days ago.