Jordan Hamilton has spoken about his experiences while on loan with Portuguese club CF Trofense.
The 18-year old Canadian forward recently spent time away from Toronto FC in a bid to further his development in a first team environment and suggests the second division club helped open his eyes to a different state of soccer affairs.
"It was a tough time with the language and the new culture, but it was good to see that not everywhere in the world is as good as what Toronto FC offers," Hamilton told MLSsoccer.com.
"You really learn to appreciate what you have. Coming up through the academy in Toronto, it was always a comfortable feeling, and you're always around the best facility.
"So you really appreciate it when you experience something not as good in Europe."
The once-capped Canada international also suggested that his time spent in the north of Porto made him understand that there is plenty of hard work ahead of him if he wants to make it at the top.
"You're kind of an outsider because in Europe [the mentality is] like you're coming for their spot," Hamilton added.
"You really have to fight every day in training. Just like, in training, it was a fight, like you're going to war just in practice.
"You learn to step your game up and that makes you a lot better in all aspects. You need to realize you want to be a professional player in a situation like that."
