Sneijder admits to limitations

Wesley Sneijder says he no longer sees himself as one of the top five players in the world in the wake of his move to Galatasaray.

Sneijder was in the best form of his career yet during the 2009/10 campaign, guiding Inter Milan to the treble and firing the Netherlands to the FIFA World Cup final.

He was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United in subsequent seasons, but a wage demands are believed to have scuppered his chances of a switch to the English Premier League.

Injury problems limited Sneijder’s playing time last season, and he found himself frozen out of the Inter first team in the first half of 2012/13 after refusing to agree to a pay cut.

After sealing an exit to Turkish Super Lig club Galatasaray, Sneijder said he had come to accept that he was past his best.

“Why I did not join one of the top five clubs in Europe? Because I am no longer one of the top five players around, and neither are Inter among the five best clubs,” Sneijder told De Telegraaf.

“That was the case when we won the Champions League back in 2010, but I have no doubt that Galatasaray are a step forward for me.

“I will get regular playing time again and will play in a strong league. Galatasaray are a beautiful club and I’ll have some great team-mates. This is all quite important with the World Cup coming up in 2014.”

Sneijder could make his Gala debut in the Istanbul derby versus Besiktas this weekend.