Jackson Irvine says he was never 'desperate' to leave Burton Albion - and he was ready for another season of full commitment at the Pirelli Stadium.
The Australian international left the Brewers to join Hull City last week in a club-record deal for Albion.
Having caught the eye for Burton in scoring 10 goals from midfield to help them upset the odds and secure Championship survival last term, Irvine was always likely to be the subject of interest from clubs elsewhere in the second tier this summer.
So it proved, with speculation rife and several clubs linked with the 24-year-old before the Hull move was confirmed.
Irvine himself had spoken ever since January - when interest was first shown in him from several clubs - that he was fully focused on Burton until something concrete came along.
And so it proved here, with the dynamic midfielder - who made five appearances and scored a stunner against the Tigers in August - saying he was readying himself to give everything once again for Albion this term if nothing had happened for him in the transfer market.
"It's situational - if someone is incredibly desperate to get out of a club then that can affect the mindset," he told the Herald Sun in Australia.
"But I wasn't desperate to leave Burton, it was more about if an opportunity came up.
"So I went back into Burton this season with every intention of, if that opportunity didn't come, being fully committed to the cause for the season.
"I'm very much a heart-on-my-sleeve player, I don't really know any other way.
"So when I'm out on the pitch, these kind of things disappear and you're just playing a game."
Irvine's immediate focus will be on helping Australia secure their spot at next summer's World Cup finals in Russia.
The Socceroos need to better Saudi Arabia's result when they host Thailand tomorrow if they are to automatically take their place in the finals.
The 24-year-old goalscoring midfielder will then return to the Championship with Hull as he seeks to take another step on his path towards the Premier League, a target he is vocal about, and surely destined to, achieve.
"In this day and age, to sign for a Premier League team and go in and play straight away, that is nigh on impossible with the modern market," he added.
"And so I think the clearest path to the Premier League now is for players, young players in my situation, to try to get promoted."
