Arsenal right-back Hector Bellerin has said he is unsure if he would have made the grade if he had stayed at Barcelona and is pleased to have been given a chance by Arsene Wenger.
Bellerin, 20, has deputised for the injured Mathieu Debuchy this season and has looked comfortable despite having started the season without a Premier League appearance to his name.
The Spaniard went on loan to Watford in the English Championship in 2013-14 and has developed well since leaving the Camp Nou at the age of 16.
"It's great to play 'at home' and have everything where you've grown up," Bellerin told Marca. "But sometimes you've got to get out of your comfort zone and discover new challenges.
"Wherever you are, you have to work hard. But if I had stayed in Barcelona I don't know if I would have got to the top, the elite.
"We'll never know. I have worked as hard as I could and always with the mentality of going as far and as high as possible. Wherever I was I would have done the same."
Having impressed his manager this season, Bellerin has been offered a new contract at the Emirates and insisted that he now feels at home playing in England.
"The atmosphere here is incredible," he added. "At Watford, in the Championship, we played in front of 40,000 people at Leeds. Spanish players miss turning up at a ground and it being full.
"Many people in Spain watch the Premier League and know about what a spectacle it is. It would be crazy to say that it's not among the best leagues in the world.
"La Liga is at a great level with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico. In England we should have done better. It's our fault. It's not a question of which league is better or worse, they're all at a high level."