Egypt's Ahmed Fathi, currently on loan to Championship side Hull City, expressed disappointment on Tuesday with his long stint on the bench.

"I train very hard; I play for the reserves, but I stay on the bench. I don't know why," the Ahly midfielder was quoted as saying by UK newspaper The Independent.

The 28-year-old, who joined Hull City on a six-month loan deal during the January transfer window alongside countryman Mohamed Nagy 'Gedo,' has since made few appearances with the English side.

"The manager in Egypt [Ahly's Hossam El-Badry] told me before I came here, 'Don't go please – the league will start again and I need you'. But I made my choice and came here," he said.

"But that's football," the holder of several Egyptian and African trophies – won with both Ahly and Egypt – added. "And I have to work."

Teammate Gedo, meanwhile, has played a leading role with Hull, scoring five goals in nine matches.

"I'm not surprised about Gedo," said Fathi. "I know he's a very good player – physical, fast, and when he has a chance, he scores."

"But with Ahly, he has many more chances. Here, I tell him, 'There will not be so many chances. Here you have a chance, you must score' – and he has," he added.

Fathi went on: "Now, Ahly are playing in the CAF Champions League again. They would probably like me and Gedo back, but we have contracts with Hull. That being said, I came from Egypt to play."

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