Richard Dunne admits he found his departure from Manchester City annoying.

The Republic of Ireland international, a hugely popular figure amongst the fans at Eastlands, has been sold to Aston Villa for £6million, despite starting all of City’s games this season.

Dunne is a victim of the lavish spending by the Blues which has seen the best part of £40million spent on Joleon Lescott and Kolo Toure, and he admits he finds his exit annoying.

"I played right up to when I left, I was there all the time," he told Sky Sports. "They signed the players and that was it. I wasn't given the opportunity to stay and fight for my place. That's what was annoying.

"I was told I had to go and that's the frustrating part about it. They told me they had accepted an offer so I said 'OK, but what if I want to stay and fight for my place?'

"They said, and it's funny, ‘we need the money'”.