Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling says he was left “fuming” and “raging” by his exit from Manchester City.
He started just 23 league games last season, and believes his sacrifices were not being rewarded.
“Everyone wants to feel wanted, football is no different,” Sterling told Sky Sports.
“When you play your heart out, sacrifice some of your kids’ birthdays, and then get treated in a certain way, it’s disappointing.
“At the time I was fuming, raging, but it’s gone, it’s in the past and I can only focus on the present, which is now, here at Chelsea, and the opportunity I’ve got here to go out and showcase my talents once again.”
He says “misunderstandings, contracts running down” were some of the factors behind him leaving City.
“A lot of things came into play, a lot of reasons, but I wasn’t complaining, I was ready to challenge and, as you can see, even with some of the performances I put in, you couldn’t guarantee yourself a place so it just didn’t make sense to fight a battle you can never win,” he added.
Sterling, who scored 131 goals in 339 games for City, says his move to west London was a “blessing in disguise”.
“If you are not happy playing your football you’ve got to look at other options to get that happiness back, and that’s exactly what I have done,” he added.
