Maksim Plakushchenko joins Hapoel Ramat Gan, criticizes Maccabi Netanya exit

Maksim Plakushchenko has signed with newly promoted Hapoel Ramat Gan after leaving Maccabi Netanya, where he spent three seasons. The midfielder said the club wants him to help it meet its goals in the season back in the Israeli Premier League.

Speaking on Sport 5’s "5 Live" after the move, Plakushchenko said he had "two great years" at Netanya, both personally and as a team, but injury problems derailed his third season. He said he started the campaign well, was injured against Hapoel Tel Aviv, returned earlier than expected, and then suffered another injury. "I got out of the loop," he said, adding that he expected more support after his previous two seasons and that both he and Netanya would see the consequences of the decision next year.

Plakushchenko also spoke about coach Roni Levy, saying he asked what he needed to do to get playing time but felt he was not given enough minutes. "I felt in those conversations that I was not going to play," he said. He added that everyone, including fans, could see his bond with Netanya, and complained that the club ended things by email at the end of the season.

He said he does not view Hapoel Ramat Gan as a small club, pointing to the ambitions he heard from the management and coach Maor Dego. In his view, reaching the playoffs would mean the team had achieved its target. The 30-year-old also said he had hoped to go much further in his career, perhaps even abroad, and blamed past coaches who he said did not love football enough. He insisted he still has at least five or six years left as a player and rejected the idea that he does not run hard, saying that under Guy Tzarfati at Maccabi Haifa he covered 11 kilometers per match.