He told MCFCTV.com: “I wanted to play by moving to a different club. At Real Sociedad there were three or four players in the same situation as me.
“When I left Sociedad, I knew I was leaving behind friends and family. But in life, I wanted to learn a new culture, make new friends and obviously learn a new language. These are the things I want to benefit from the new move.
“Obviously, I have got a family and everything there, so there were mixed emotions for me. Because the club were relegated, the economic situation meant that they needed the money.
“I wanted to play and come to Manchester and they needed the money so it worked for both sides.”
He added: “For me, I didn’t have to think too much about the move to the Premier League.
“I was aware of Manchester City’s situation and I had a lot of offers from other clubs, but with Sven-Goran Eriksson’s reputation as a good coach and I knew they were signing a lot of international players as well, that is what attracted me to Manchester City.”
