Mason Mount has revealed the reason he chose to quit Stamford Bridge in favour of a move to Premier League rivals Manchester United.
Mount, 24, moved to Manchester United from Chelsea for an initial £55m, signing a five-year deal.
The move drew widespread criticism from Chelsea fans and the England international cleared the air in his first interview since signing for the Red Devils.
Mount pins blame on Chelsea for exit
"Several months ago, it became clear I wasn't in Chelsea's plans going forward and once I knew United were involved my decision was made up," he told MUTV.
"Massive club, huge iconic players that have played here and I wanted to be part of that from the beginning. Getting here early ready for pre-season to start was a main objective of mine as well."
Mount will wear the iconic No 7 at United, following in the footsteps of some of the club's greatest legends.
"I had a lot of idols. Ronaldo, you see the little video of me when I was younger. I loved watching him play. Becks [David Beckham] was also a massive inspiration of mine, I was in awe of his free-kick technique. You take bits of inspiration from different players."
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