Former Aberdeen defender Andy Considine has said he was left with no option but to leave Pittodrie.
The 35-year-old has signed a two-year deal with St Johnstone after his 18-year spell with the Dons came to an end last season.
The defender, who is fourth in the all-time appearance list for the Dons, missed the majority of the campaign last season due to a serious knee injury.
The offer of a one-year extension was withdrawn in April after talks between Considine’s representatives and the Dons broke down.
Considine told the Sunday Mail: “The decision was taken out of my hands, completely. It was taken away from me.
“It didn’t end the way I wanted it to at Aberdeen.
“The lack of game time I had towards the end made it clear that I wasn’t in his (Jim Goodwin’s) plans for this season.
“So my time was up. I thought the decision would be in my hands but as time went on, it became clear that it wasn’t.
“The manager told me that.
“You can be at a club for 18 years but when a new manager comes in with his own ideas, he knows who he wants.
“Obviously, I wasn’t part of it. It was hard to take because I thought my days as a footballer would have finished at Aberdeen.
“I set myself and my family up to finish there. I was coaching with the youth team so I was trying to sort myself out for life after football as well.
“But the manager had his own plans and I wasn’t part of it.
“I want to keep playing so I”m grateful that St Johnstone want to take me on for the next two years.
“I’m looking forward to starting a new chapter in my career.”
Considine had a number of clubs chasing his signature, including Central Coast Mariners in Australia.
But the Scotland international, who revealed he has not spoken to Dons chairman Dave Cormack about his Pittodrie exit, said St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson made his interest clear early after Aberdeen’s penultimate game of the season at McDiarmid Park.
🆕 🎙 | 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙎𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙨
Andy Considine sat down with #SaintsTV after signing a 2 year contract earlier today.
Watch the full interview on #SaintsTV now! 👇#SJFC | #COYS
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) June 16, 2022
He said: “I had conversations with one or two other team managers ut the one who showed real interest was Callum.
“We played them towards the end of the season and I’d gone out to do a few runs afterwards.
“Steven MacLean (the St Johnstone assistant manager) grabbed me in the tunnel and Callum asked what I had planned for this year.
“At that moment I had nothing.
“After St Johnstone got though the play-offs Callum was on the phone to say he wanted me.
“I was delighted. I planned to wait to get the best option and that was St Johnstone. I felt wanted again.”
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