Chris Eagles revealed Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson persuaded him to quit the European champions and join Coca-Cola Championship outfit Burnley.
The 22-year-old has signed a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee believed to be in excess of £1m after finally admitting defeat in his fight to become a first-team regular at Old Trafford.
Eagles joined the Red Devils at the age of 14 and despi
te being prominent in their pre-season campaign – scoring against Kaizer Chiefs and Portsmouth on their tour of Africa – he accepted his future lies elsewhere.
"I spoke to Sir Alex a lot about it because he's looked after me since I was 14," said Eagles, who spent time on loan at Watford, Sheffield Wednesday and Dutch outfit NEC Nijmegen in recent seasons.
"He told my mum and dad he was going to look after me and he did. He said it's going to be a big decision but he believes that with the talent I've got I need to go and play. It's no good me sitting in the stands.
"United need to win every game and they're not going to play someone who hasn't been playing regularly."
Eagles spent United's tour of Africa agonising over the move but he knew he was in a "comfort zone" as a fringe member of the first-team set-up.
"But I don't need to move here – I can still live in Manchester – and I think altogether the whole package was very good," said Eagles after becoming Burnley's sixth summer signing.
"I was in a comfort zone because I had been there since the age of 14."
The full article contains 283 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
