Former Manchester City captain Richard Dunne has taken a parting swipe at his old club, saying they sold to recoup some of their lost fortune.

The new Aston Villa defender believes the cashed-up City needed to get some money back from their summer of spending and had to offload him.

"They told me they'd accepted an offer," said Dunne. "I said 'what happens if I want to stay and fight for my place?'.

"It was quite funny because they told me 'no, we need the money', so that was that. I was told I had to go, which is the frustrating part about it.

"I wasn't given the opportunity to stay and fight for my place - that's what was annoying.

"I played right up to the day I left. I was always playing, then they signed some other defenders and that was it."

Despite his comments, Dunne says he is not angry about the decision and hopes City can achieve some success.

"I'm not bitter," added Dunne. "The fans at City are fantastic and have been crying out for success for such a long time.

"Now they seem on the brink of it, I hope they get what they deserve. But I've joined a club with similar ambitions and I believe we can challenge for the top six."