The French midfielder insists that he did not have to leave Manchester City but knew that the Spanish club would be the ideal new home for him after five years in England. Samir Nasri has revealed that the prospect of "good food and very nice girls" helped to convince him to swap Manchester City for Sevilla. The 29-year-old joined the Spanish side on a season-long loan in August, having spent the previous five campaigns at City.

Nasri has scored three goals in 13 appearances in all competitions for his new team this season and says that he felt that it was time to move on from the Etihad Stadium - despite new manager Pep Guardiola wanting him to stay. "I had a good pre-season but needed a change. Guardiola wanted me to stay," he told Sevilla's official magazine. "In my last season, I had many injuries and wanted to start something new, fresh. So I contacted other clubs but, when I heard Sevilla, I knew I needed to come here. "If you know anything about football, you know that Sevilla has returned many players back to the top."

Off-the-pitch factors also helped to persuade Nasri, who said that he spoke to some of his Spanish team-mates at City before deciding his next move. "I also asked Jesus Navas, [David] Silva and Nolito about the club, the city, and everything was good," he enthused. "There was good food, very nice girls... I talked to Guardiola and he told me there is a great coach in [Sevilla assistant] Juanma Lillo. That was all I needed to know. It was perfect for me."