Eckersley: I Had No Desire To Leave

Richard Eckersley agreed to join Burnley this afternoon in a bid to get more first team football. The Salford lad had been with the club since he was nine so conceded it was a hard decision to make but leaving was something he felt he had to do.

“It’s been a hectic week, but also a very fantastic one,” said Eckersley. “When Burnley came in for me it was an instant decision really and it’s great to be here.When I made my United first-team debut against Spurs I was just craving first-team football. I decided that this season I would either have to go out on loan or leave because I was desperate to play. Manchester United did offer me a new contract, but it was a no-brainer for me to come here.I didn’t have any desire to leave because they are a fantastic club, but I think the time was right to move away. I’d been at United since I was nine, so it was a really hard decision to leave, but my family advised me.”

Eckersley will be reunited with Chris Eagles, another former youth product who left United for first team football.

“It’s been really sudden, so I didn’t get chance to speak to Chris Eagles since yesterday,” Eckersley added. “I had been a bit jealous of him because he was playing week in week out at a good club. When you see that you just want to be a part of it and that’s why I’ve come.”

Best of luck.