Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi says he'll always be grateful to David Moyes for allowing him to leave Everton.
It was in 2012 when Mustafi went to see Moyes to say he felt it was time to move on.
"I went there when I was 17, so a young guy, and I understand it was not easy for David Moyes to pick me because his team was working, but after two and a half years I started to think I really needed to play," Mustafi told the Daily Mail.
"I thought I would prefer to make a step backwards and get games, rather than just going year after year not making a step. I knew I had to look for solutions, even if that meant going to the second division in Italy to get my games. It was a big decision."
Mustafi put all this to Moyes.
"I told the club and David Moyes," he says. "He actually said to me, 'If you don't want to extend your contract, it is no problem. You are a young player, we do not want to destroy your career. If you want to go you can go, even in January if you want'. I really appreciated that from Moyes.
"I might have 200 Premier League games for Everton by now but for me it was more important not to hit the wall."