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Wayne Rooney said that Everton had made him "clearly understood" that the club wanted him to leave after last season, which pushed him to join DC United this summer.
Rooney is expected to make his MLS debut on Saturday. DC United opens its new stadium, Audi Field, against the Vancouver Whitecaps (8 pm ET, ESPN +).
The match marks the first time England's all-time leading scorer has played for a foreign club, after becoming a world star at Manchester United and returning to Everton last season.
Rooney had hinted last week that his exit from Everton had not been completely his decision, saying that "people who want to know can ask Everton" but in an exclusive interview with Taylor Twellman, of ESPN, Thursday, the 32-year-old has deepened the process that has led to the United States.
"I do not think it's a chip on my shoulder, I think it's a win and play," Rooney said of his decision to continue his MLS career.
"Obviously, at Manchester United, that did not happen as much as I would have liked and I could easily have stayed there with two years of contract and have got the salary back and be happy with
"But I wanted to play, I went back to Everton and I spent a year there, and then, as I've already said, Everton said clearly towards the end of the season that they would be happy that I leave. "
Rooney, who led Everton with 11 goals in all competitions last season, also said that the Premier League club was not giving him a reason why he was not going to win. was not in the plans for next season.
"For some reason, I still do not know. I felt I was doing well, I was the top scorer [despite] playing most of the season since the midfield, so … "Rooney said, in the end.
" But it's football. And that gave me a decision to make, and I made that decision.
Rooney then deepened his discussions with Everton when asked if the manner of his release had motivated him to succeed in MLS, saying he was mature enough to understand. club decision.
"Well, I told Everton, I said," Look, I'm not a kid and if that's [leaving the club] that's what you want, tell me. If you want me to stay, tell me "and we talked about it," says Rooney.
"At the age of 18, 20, 21, I would obviously not be able to handle that. as I have it now. And they said to me and I said "pretty well". I will not disrespect the football club.
"So this option became available as well as a few different ones, and I just felt that it was the right one."
3:38 [19659018] Wayne Rooney sits with ESPN's Taylor Twellman to detail what attracted him to his new club and his expectations for his time in MLS .
Rooney will follow in the footsteps of his former England team-mates Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole by switching to MLS in recent years, but at age 32, he is younger than anyone at the time of their debut.
But Rooney is the same age as David Beckham when he debuted with the LA Galaxy in 2007. Beckham He went on to play another six years, and Rooney said that he also has a lot to do in the tank
"I think, 32, obviously, it starts to be a bit but it's not 35, 36". "No, but I think it's a good time for me to come here and make an impact on this league, to show the league the respect it deserves." 19659022 "I did not want to come here at 35, 36 and I do not think it's the right time and it's a good change for me and my family."
Rooney joins a team at the bottom of the league, and although he recognizes that he was hoping to provide a spark to improve "over time".
"I plan to score goals, create goals and be a help in the way the team plays," Rooney said. "I think first of all if I did not think I could coming to this league and having success or playing or doing it physically, I would not be there.
"I am a realistic person and I always think that I could come here and be a success and it's time to go to show. "
