Christian Eriksen has admitted that he held talks with Manchester United over a possible move before deciding to leave Tottenham for Inter Milan.
The midfielder was the subject of interest from a host of clubs over the last year, with Real Madrid and Barcelona also said to be interested ahead of the summer transfer window last year.
With just six months remaining on his contract at Spurs, Inter moved for the midfielder and managed to seal a deal worth £16.9million, ending his six-and-a-half-year stay in North London.
And the midfielder has stated that he felt the scapegoat for a lot of things at Spurs ahead of his exit, and had become tired of constant speculation surrounding his future by the time he left.
"England, for the last few years, was very hectic," Eriksen told the BBC.
"After what I said in the summer, it was just about 'when is he going to leave?' Every game it was: 'Is he 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.
"Not until it got serious [in January did I think about leaving]. In the end it comes down to what Tottenham wants to have and what Inter, or any other club, want to pay.
"In the end you are controlled by Tottenham. You are controlled by [chairman Daniel] Levy. He says yes or no. You try to be as professional as you can be and not to force anything through in any way.
"For a few years [Manchester United were mentioned] but it was never really likely. We did speak to them of course and we did hear what was possible and what wasn't possible.
"But in the end, me personally, I wanted a new challenge. To stay in the Premier League would have been an easy solution.
"Of course, staying at Tottenham would also have been a solution but, for me, it just came down to wanting to try a new challenge in a new country. Once Inter came up it really wasn't a difficult choice."
