In-form Stoke City goalkeeper Jack Butland has stated that he feels vindicated over his decision to snub a move to Chelsea.
The 22-year-old turned down a £3.5m move to the reigning Premier League champions when he was at Birmingham City in 2013.
Butland has impressed since becoming the Potters' first-choice stopper this season in a dazzling run of form which has seen him rewarded with two more England caps, giving him three in total.
"I never regretted my decision. Whenever you move you want to get into the team and make an impression straight away. It was difficult to start with, but I never lost my head or enthusiasm, I knew it was going to come around, I just needed to show it," he is quoted as saying by The Mirror.
"It's taken a while, but I'm really happy with how things are. I'm 22, it would have been wrong of me to look for first-team football at 19. Maybe I would have bitten off a bit more than I could chew. It's a blessing in disguise.
"I've had a lot of opportunities to work with great keepers since I've been here. I feel I've improved even before the start. I feel I've come a long way as a goalkeeper and that's with the players I've worked with, the coaches have made me better. As far as I'm concerned, it's not been a backward step, and thankfully I now have this opportunity to take it to the next level."
Butland, who has five clean sheets this season, will aim for another on Saturday when Stoke visit Sunderland.
Shane Callaghan
