Gael Clichy says Arsenal's desire to promote British players pushed him to join Manchester City.

Clichy spent eight years in North London before joining City in 2011.

"I remember clearly at that time the club was trying to promote more British players," Clichy said.

"There was a group of four or five players, they were putting them out there, they wanted to build the team around them and I was getting to a point where, not the injuries, but where you feel that the club is saying they [don't] want to keep you.

"I don't think they wanted me to leave but I didn't feel at the time that they wanted me to stay. I believe nowadays in football when you want a player to stay, you tell them you want them to stay and you make sure he stays.

"I didn't feel that at the time. I'm not the only one, if you look around at the other players who left at the time that I left they would probably tell you the same and I think overall the decision was good for everybody.

"It wasn't linked to my injury, it wasn't linked to anything, but I could feel that the club was pushing towards something else."