Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge has claimed that his lack of first-team opportunities at both Chelsea and Manchester City is proof that he made the right decision to leave the clubs.
The England international left City for Chelsea in 2009 after falling down the pecking order, before departing for Anfield from Stamford Bridge in January 2013 for similar reasons.
The 24-year-old has gone on to score 20 Premier League goals for the Reds this term, and the former City teenager feels that he has made the correct choices so far in his career.
He told The Mirror: "Realistically, you look back and they only have Micah Richards from the academy playing for the club's first team - everyone else has been signed by Man City, so I feel I made the right decision leaving there.
"At first [at Chelsea], it was a matter of learning from the likes of Didier Drogba, and I thought I would get my opportunity sooner, but they didn't believe in me as a centre-forward. They always said, 'You're not a centre-forward, you're a winger' - that's how they saw me, but that hurt me because I've played down the middle all my life.
"The pitch has always been where I've been able to express myself the most, where I feel happiest, and I was deprived of that opportunity at Chelsea. There were times when I was sat at home, very upset, and I fell out of love with the game."
The table-topping Reds host Manchester City on Sunday.
Paul Gorst
