Cardiff City defender Aden Flint has opened up on his exit from Bristol City in 2018, suggesting that it was the club's decision to sell him and that he was gutted to leave.

Flint was an integral figure throughout his five-year spell at the South West club, making nearly 250 appearances and helping the Robins re-establish themselves as a Championship club.

The towering centre-back played a key role in helping the club win League One and the EFL Trophy in the 2014/15 campaign – playing 55 times that season and scoring 15 goals.

Flint left Ashton Gate to join Middlesbrough in 2018 before moving to the Robins' rivals Cardiff City at the start of the season.

Joining the Bluebirds has made the defender something of a controversial figure amongst the Ashton Gate faithful but it appears he is still very fond of his former club.

Speaking to The Exiled Robin, Flint revealed the truth behind his Bristol City exit.

Asked whether his move in 2018 had been promised to him ahead of time, he said: "Nothing was promised to me. Brighton had bids rejected in January as well. Football is a business, everyone has a price and if people meet the valuation then clubs will sell you.

"I was turning 29, so I wasn’t getting any younger and the club thought it was time to freshen it up. I had five years at City and had some great times as well as some low times.

"It was rumbling on throughout the off-season when I was on holiday, and then two days before we were due to come back in for training I was told that a fee had been accepted and to get to Middlesbrough for a medical.

"I was really gutted to be leaving, to be leaving my friends. But it was a challenge that I wanted. Middlesbrough are a huge club with massive ambitions."

Flint faced former club in the Severnside Derby back in November, a game that the Robins won 1-0 through Josh Brownhill's thumping long-range effort.

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The Verdict

Given he now plays for rivals Cardiff, Flint is something of a controversial figure amongst Bristol City fans these days but he deserves credit for his service to the club.

It's interesting to hear his insight into his Ashton Gate exit and, particularly, the fact that the club appear to have been the driving force in the move.

You wonder whether that might impact his reception when he returns to Ashton Gate as a Cardiff player in the near future.