Mason Mount has revealed that he decided to leave Chelsea after it became clear he was not in their plans under owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
Mount has joined Manchester United in a £60million deal and signed a five-year contract at Old Trafford.
The midfielder had been reluctant to leave Chelsea, whom he joined at the age of six, but his relationship with the Stamford Bridge hierarchy had deteriorated in recent months.
Speaking to MUTV in his first interview as a United player, Mount said: “Several months ago, it became clear that I wasn’t in Chelsea’s plans moving forward.
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“Once I knew that United were involved, my decision was made up.
“A massive club, huge iconic players have played here, and I wanted to be a part of that from the beginning. Getting in early and ready for pre-season to start was a main objective of mine as well.”
Mount had one year left on his Chelsea contract after turning down several offers of a new deal.
He has been given the No7 shirt at United, which has been worn by legends including Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham and Eric Cantona.
Mount said: “I looked at Ronaldo, you will have seen that video of me [emulating his free-kicks] when I was younger.
"I loved watching him play, I loved his free-kicks. Beckham was also a massive inspiration of mine, growing up watching his free-kicks, I was in awe of his technique.
"So many iconic players have played for this club and watching them as a youngster and also being a fan of them makes it very special to now be here."
