Former Dundee United star Lawrence Shankland insists he has no plans to leave Belgium despite being relegated on Sunday.
Shankland started as his club Beerschot lost 2-0 at home to Gent to drop out of the Belgian Pro League.
Beerschot are now ten points adrift of second-bottom RFC Seraing with just three games left after five defeats in a row.
Shankland has had a tumultuous time at the Antwerp-based club since making his £1 million switch from Dundee United in August.
He has netted four goals in 21 games and has starred under THREE managers in seven months.
But he insists he doesn’t regret making the move from United and has vowed to see out his contract.
“I signed a three-year contract at Beerschot without a release clause if we should go down,” Shankland told Beerschot’s official website.
“I reckon I will stay put.
“It is a brand new experience for me, my first season abroad, away from Scotland.
🗣 "I will keep working hard. That's my attitude anyway, both on the training pitch and during matches."
Read the entire interview with striker @Shankland_25 on our website. 👇#WeAre13
— K. Beerschot V.A. (@kbeerschotva) March 12, 2022
“Do I regret my transfer as the results are very disappointing? Not really but I must admit it’s quite frustrating losing every other week and having to fight relegation.
“The atmosphere in the dressing room has always been good.
“We lost too many games by the odd goal and individual mistakes were almost always punished by our opponents.
“On top of that, there have been a handful of debatable decisions by the ref and VAR. But we also have to admit we underachieved on more than one occasion.”
Lawrence Shankland: Antwerp rivalry reminds me of Dundee derby
Lawrence Shankland slotting the ball home for Beerschot last night, a calm finish from the Scotsman after some great pressing by his team and a lovely touch from Raphael Holzhauser. 🏴🇧🇪pic.twitter.com/IwdeauJ8Co
— Byron Hutchison (@ByronHutchison) November 22, 2021
Shakland fell foul of one of those VAR calls and had a strike ruled out against local rivals Antwerp in a 2-1 loss earlier this month.
Despite the defeat, he thrived in the heat of the derby atmosphere, comparing it to the passion he saw in Dundee derbies.
“It surprised me how intense that rivalry between Beerschot and Antwerp proved to be,” added Shankland.
“The derby was hotly contested with loads of hard tackles, high spirited duels and played in a hostile setting.
“I loved the atmosphere and enjoyed playing in it apart from the result.
“Is it comparable to the derbies in Dundee?
“Antwerp is a much bigger city than Dundee, so it appeals to a lot of people here, and that showed.
“But the Dundee derbies are often hotly contested too. Both clubs are situated in the same road, just about 300 yards from each other.
“That creates a special atmosphere as you can imagine.”
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