Former Tottenham full back Kieran Trippier says he was "selfish" during his last few months at the club, admitting he was putting himself above the team.
The 29-year-old left north London to join Atlético Madrid last summer, where the England international has gone on to make 26 appearances across all competitions for Diego Simeone's side.
Trippier's £20m move came as a surprise following what had been a disappointing season, and the England international admits he was "selfish" to continue playing for Tottenham despite a persistent injury problem throughout the campaign.
"It was difficult. You know you're not playing well and you're still getting picked," Trippier told Football Focus (via Standard Sport).
"You're struggling with injuries which I probably was from October, but I was playing in big games, Champions League games, getting to the final.
"You want to play in those big games. I was probably a bit selfish at times where I should have taken a step back and thought of the team more.
"I was just playing through pain and I obviously didn't have the best of seasons. I've admitted that but you know I'm happy I went through the difficult times like that because if it happens again I know how to control it."
Since moving to Spain, Trippier has been back to his best under Simeone.
The 29-year-old has kept Šime Vrsaljko and Santiago Arias out of Atlético's first team throughout the season, and although he hasn't scored yet for the club, he has picked up four assists - including against Juventus in the Champions League.
Tripper has been looking to fight his way back into contention for Gareth Southgate's England squad before the European Championships, and although he's impressed in Madrid, the Three Lions manager still has Trent Alexander-Arnold, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Reece James to pick from.
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Source: 90min
