New Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel insists the arrival of Paul Ince at Blackburn Rovers had no influence on his decision to quit Ewood Park.

"It was just a feeling I got," the American told the Lancashire Telegraph.

"It had absolutely nothing to do with Paul Ince coming in as the manager - I want to make that crystal clear.

"There was no animosity or frustration on my part when the new manager got appointed, and I've not fallen out with Paul, John Williams, or anyone else at the club for that matter.

"The bottom line is this just felt right, and I would have made the same decision whether Mark Hughes was still the manager at Rovers or not.

"This challenge just really excited me. I'd been in one place for the last eight years, and I honestly thought I'd be spending the rest of my career at Blackburn.

"But then this opportunity cropped up, and I just felt it was something that I had to do."