Javier Hernandez says he needed to leave Manchester United to rescue his career.
The 27-year-old joined Bayer Leverkusen for £7.3million last August and has scored 13 goals in 16 appearances in the Bundesliga this season.
"If the coach had told me I would be his No 1 striker, I would never have left," Hernandez told The Times. "But I wanted to play.
"I looked for the team for three years. I focused on being there, on working, on being a good team-mate, on being ready. [It was the time] to look for myself, to look at my own goals.
"The fans wanted me to stay, but they wanted me to stay as a back-up. I did not want to wait any more.
"It is easy to say you don't want to train, to tweet or put a picture on Instagram because you are not playing, to fight with a manager."