Christian Eriksen says his decision to run down his contract made him a “black sheep” at Tottenham Hotspur.
The 27-year-old midfielder joined Inter Milan last month for a fee of £17million.
The Dane would have been out of contract in the summer and had been linked with a move away from north London since last summer, when he revealed he was ready for a new challenge in the wake of Spurs’ Champions League final defeat.
“England, for the last few years, was very hectic,” Eriksen told BBC Sport. “After what I said in the summer, it was just about, ‘when is he going to leave?’
“Every game it was, ‘Is he leaving? Is he not leaving?’ Of course a lot of people were speaking about it.
“Even the fans you see on the street were like, ‘Thank you, goodbye and good luck’. But I was still there. It was a bit weird. In my head and for my body, it is good that I am in a new place and I can start again.”
“I wouldn’t say it affected me. In England, when your contract is shorter, it is like you have to leave now. You are gone. In the end I played about 30 games that were like goodbye games.
“If you have a short contract, you will be the black sheep. Of course, I did the interview. I was very honest. I felt I had to be honest.
“I did get the blame for a lot of stuff, for being the bad guy. I read I was the bad person in the changing room, that ever since I said I wanted to leave, it was no good me being there.”
