Jack Wilshere says he "just had to get out" of West Ham but he said it was nothing personal against his boyhood club.
The 28-year-old midfielder made just 19 appearances for the Hammers after joining them from Arsenal in 2018.
His contract at West Ham was terminated by mutual consent on transfer Deadline Day, which means he is a free agent now.
In an interview with Sky Sports News Wilshere talked about why he wanted out and what is next in his career.
"I was probably getting to that point, if I had stayed another year, where it would have been really tough mentally to come back from," Wilshere said.
The former Arsenal midfielder has been plagued by injuries for the last few seasons but said injury was not the reason he was left out of the West Ham squad when the new Premier League started in September.
David Moyes made it clear to him that he was not part of plans for the future but Wilshere said there was no falling out between the two or the club.
"I never had a fall out with him, I was thankful to him for being honest with me.
"I've got a lot of friends at West Ham and it was nothing personal against them.
"I still speak to a lot of the players, but I just had to get out. I couldn't spend another year not playing, especially at my age."
Chelsea's Willian and West Ham's Jack Wilshere during the Premier League match at the London Stadium in July 2020.What next for Wilshere
"I've been speaking to my agent every couple of days," he says.
"There's been a few things that have come up and we're still talking about it, but I'm not going to put a time on it because I want to make sure it's right."
"La Liga, Italy or Germany would be a nice change for me, not many English players have done it.
"I always watch La Liga, it was always something I thought about. I like the league, I think it's more technical than the English game. I think it's somewhere I could really show what I can do.
"I don't think I'm too young for the MLS. It's on Sky Sports, I think there's been a big improvement in that league. If the right opportunity came up I'd be open to it."
Wilshere won his first of 34 England caps in 2010 at the age of 18 and it looked like the sky was the limit for a highly technical midfielder.
The last decade of his career has been stop-start because of persistent injuries but he is desperate to show that he still has plenty to offer.
Wilshere has been working on his fitness since he left West Ham in order to prove his fitness to any potential suitors.
"I want to play for a club where I feel like I'm an important part of it.
"I just want to play games - I want to get back to playing 25-30 games a season, when you can really get your confidence back and a smile on your face.
"Just playing football, what I used to do when I was a little bit younger. I still feel like I can do it and I want to prove everyone wrong."
Wilshere also spoke about wanting to make his family proud and how his two youngest children are yet to see him play.
"I want to show them what their dad does for a job. More than anything I want to make my family proud.
"They've always been by my side, always stuck by me.
"It was a difficult decision for them to understand that I wasn't going to play and it was best for me to leave.
"I want to find somewhere I can play and make my family proud."
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