Vurnon Anita has opened up about falling out of favour at Leeds United and his departure from the Yorkshire club last year.
Anita spent two years with Leeds but having fallen out of favour completely following the arrival of Marcelo Bielsa, he agreed a deal to terminate his contract with the Yorkshire club on August transfer deadline day.
The midfielder joined in 2017, signing as a free agent after leaving Newcastle United, but made just 22 appearances for the Whites in total.
Those all came in the 2017/18 campaign and he was deemed excess to requirements by Bielsa soon after the Argentine arrived at the club.
Anita did not feature once for Leeds under Bielsa and was sent out on loan to Eredivisie side Willem II last season.
In an interview with Voetballzone, the Dutchman opened up on his time with Leeds and his Elland Road departure.
He said: “When I returned from Willem II, I immediately felt that there was little perspective at Leeds. That's okay, that year at Willem II made me stronger and I was able to show myself again. But unfortunately, I didn't get the chance at Leeds anymore."
Anita added that the timing of his exit made finding a new club difficult.
He explained: "At that time it was also difficult for clubs to attract players, because everything is already fixed in terms of budgets and it is difficult to intervene. I started training for myself and working with Jong Ajax, to stay fit if something should come."
Anita joined Bulgarian top-flight side CSKA Sofia in February this year, more than six months after leaving Leeds.
The 31-year-old has not yet been able to prove himself at his new club yet with the delay to the season meaning he has not yet managed a single appearance.
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The Verdict
It's interesting to get Anita's perspective on what must've been a frustrating period for him.
The arrival of Bielsa after his first season at Elland Road appeared to bring an end to his career with the Whites, though he had to wait a year before he could leave the club.
The decision to terminate his contract seems like it was the right decision for all involved – freeing up some space on Leeds' wage bill and offering Anita a chance to play football elsewhere. It is going to be interesting to see where he moves this summer.