Former Leeds United striker Jermaine Beckford has revealed he quit Everton after just a season due to his own "frustration." Beckford left Elland Road in the summer of 2010 when his contract expired with Leeds to join Everton on a free transfer.
The ex-Leeds striker had been prolific during his time with the Whites, netting an impressive 85 goals in 152 games.
He played an instrumental part in helping Leeds climb out of League One and up to the Championship during the 2009/10 campaign and is also fondly remembered for his FA Cup winner against Manchester United that season at Old Trafford which saw the Whites claim a famous 1-0 win.
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That summer, Beckford chose to leave Leeds on a free and moved to Everton, where he would go on to score 10 goals in 40 games for the Toffees.
However, following a strong debut season for Everton, Beckford was told his playing time would be reduced. During his time at Leeds, he played over 40 games a season for three back to back campaigns, but was now faced with the prospect of seeing that halved.
And the former Whites forward has revealed that his decision to leave Everton for Leicester City in 2011 was due to his desire to be playing football week in, week out.
"Purely out of frustration," said Beckford when asked why he moved to Leicester.
“We went on a pre-season trip to the States and it was absolutely amazing but after a conversation with the management team, I knew my minutes would be restricted.
"Now I’d gone from playing 50-plus games for three seasons (at Leeds) to playing somewhere in the mid-20s and been told that my time would be restricted again.
"As somebody who loves football, I needed to play. I couldn’t be the type who is happy to sit on the bench and collect my money.
"I wanted to be involved in every single match day and give the best of myself. It was probably one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make just because of the connection I had made to the city and to my teammates, but I wanted to play football."
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