Mile Jedinak believes Turkish club Genclerbirligi did not show enough patience to retain striker Shane Smeltz.

The Australian international was a teammate of Smeltz's at the Ankara club until they released the New Zealand forward after a disappointing five-month stint.

But Jedinak says the position of the team (14th on the league table) and the need to get positive results quickly led club officials to let a very good player go.

"He (Smeltz) came in. The coach got changed. There were a few different things with management at the club. He was a little bit unfortunate," Jedinak said.

"He had a frustrating time. He wasn't selected in the team. I don't think it was due to lack of quality, because he definitely showed it on the training pitch.

"It was a tough situation. With the club not getting the results on the field, they didn't have the patience.

"I think he's a great player that we have lost."

Smeltz has since returned to his former A-League club Gold Coast United and made an immediate impact by scoring in the 4-0 win over North Queensland Fury on Friday night.