Mensah holding on to Atletico Madrid ambition

The 24-year-old believes he can still make the grade to become of a member of Diego Simeone's set-up

Kayserispor midfielder Bernard Mensah has not given up hopes of lining up for parent club Atletico Madrid in the future.

Since joining the Spanish giants from Portuguese club Vitoria Guimaraes in 2015, the Ghana international has had to spend each season away on loan due to limited opportunities at Wanda Metropolitano.

This campaign, he has made nine appearances - all starts - for the Anatolian Star in the Turkish Super Lig.

"I have not given up on Atletico," Mensah told KweséESPN .

"I know a lot of people think I have, but a lot of the hard work I am putting in on loan is with returning there to become an important member of the side in mind.

"Maybe if I break through properly at international level, it will also help me."

After joining Atletico, Mensah was immediately farmed out to fellow La Liga club Getafe, where he only managed eight league appearances.

He then moved back to Guimaraes for the 2016-17 season, before heading for Turkish side Kasimpasa last term, where he netted five league goals in 30 appearances involving 25 starts.

"I don't particularly like the idea of being on loan because I think it makes a player uncertain and puts too much pressure on them," said, Mensah.

"It is always better if you have a long-term deal with a club and can grow without having to worry about what happens to you next season.

"When you are on loan, one or two bad games or a spell on the bench means you are almost certainly on your way to another loan spell, and that is not good for the development of a player.

"I didn't play enough at Getafe and when I returned to Portugal, but I knew I could just not give up.

"Kasimpasa was really good for me, and Kayserispor have allowed me to get better because I play, which is what every player wants."

Mensah's renaissance earned him a Ghana recall last month, having been in the wilderness for three years.