Gamal Hamza needs to exert much more efforts if he is to earn a place among Mainz's starting eleven, coach Thomas Tuchel said on Wednesday. The Egyptian forward joined Mainz in the close season after his contract with Zamalek expired but he is yet to make his Bundesliga debut. Known as a troublemaker in his homeland, Hamza did not show enough commitment in training to break into the German side's starting line-up. He was heavily criticized by Tuchel. "Hamza lacks the fundamental characteristics of a player," the 36-year-old coach was quoted as saying by German daily Bild. "He has to prove his worth in training first but he did little to help me judge him. He must be eager to exert more efforts, not just train and run." Mainz's sports manager Axel Schuster had earlier voiced concerns over Hamza's fitness, saying he still has a lot of work to be up to scratch. The 27-year-old, who hasn't been called up to Egypt's roster since making sarcastic comments about coach Hassan Shehata last year, is consistently compared with his compatriot Mohamed Zidan. Zidan, now at Borussia Dortmund, enjoyed a highly-successful spell with Mainz in 2007. "Hamza knows what he should do. There is a long way to go, so if he is keen to succeed he will get our support," Tuchel added.
