“I was 27 back then, it didn’t work out the way I wanted. I gave my best but I didn’t see the club going upwards.

“Manchester City and Liverpool were better than us, and they were improving. Ole [Solskjær] said yes (to me leaving) and that he would talk to Ed [Woodward].

“My head was already that I wanted to go, but I came back for pre-season because I wanted to be professional.

“I spoke to Ed to try to make a move, but he blocked it. I didn’t want to play for United anymore, but I had to be professional.

“Mentally, I wasn’t there, and then I got the injuries.” [@MailSport]