BRAD Friedel has hit back at suggestions he quit Blackburn Rovers because he was unwilling to play for Paul Ince, claiming he would still have left even if Mark Hughes had stayed on as manager.

Friedel finally brought the curtain down on his eight-year stay at Rovers last weekend, when he agreed to sign for Aston Villa in a deal worth £2.5 million.

However, the former United States international insists his shock departure from Ewood had nothing at all to do with Ince’s appointment as Hughes’ successor.

In fact, the 37-year-old was quick to stress Rovers’ new boss tried everything in his power to persuade him to stay at the club, including offering him an improved contract.

In the end though, Friedel decided the chance to join Villa - who have doubled his money AND offered him an extra year on his contract - was an opportunity simply too good to turn down.

Speaking exclusively to the Lancashire Telegraph, Friedel explained his reasons for leaving, saying: “It was just a feeling I got.

“It had absolutely nothing to do with Paul Ince coming in as the manager– I want to make that crystal clear.

“There was no animosity or frustration on my part when the new manager got appointed, and I’ve not fallen out with Paul, John Williams, or anyone else at the club for that matter.

“The bottom line is this just felt right, and I would have made the same decision whether Mark Hughes was still the manager at Rovers or not.

“This challenge just really excited me. I’d been in one place for the last eight years, and I honestly thought I’d be spending the rest of my career at Blackburn.

“But then this opportunity cropped up, and I just felt it was something that I had to do.”

With Villa prepared to offer Friedel an eye-watering amount of money to swap Blackburn for the Midlands, the veteran stopper conceded the opportunity to secure one last pay-day at this stage in his career was a major factor in his decision to move on.

However, the former Liverpool ace insists it was the ‘overall package’, in terms of Villa’s ambition, and the chance to play for Martin O’Neill and Randy Lerner (the latter hails from the same state in America as Friedel) which ultimately persuaded him to jump ship.

“All I can say is the whole package revolving around the club was just too good to turn down,” said Friedel.

“If any professional footballer was in my shoes, and presented with exactly the same options, then they would have done exactly the same thing as me.”

Nevertheless, Friedel insists he still found it difficult to sever his ties with Rovers after eight memorable years, particularly because of the special relationship he enjoyed with the supporters.

“The fans, virtually right from day one, were absolutely brilliant with me,” said Villa’s new number one.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better reception from them, or for better forgiveness on the occasions when I did make mistakes.

“I felt we had a tremendous relationship and that made it very, very difficult for me to make this decision.

“I just hope they don’t hold me in contempt for wanting to take this move.

“I tried to give my heart and soul to the club every time I pulled on the shirt and I think I achieved that.

“I had three other chances to move from Blackburn during my time at the club, but I chose not to go.

“This was one of those opportunities though that was too good to turn down.”

Arguably the finest keeper in Rovers’ history, Friedel had many highlights during his eight years at the club, not least helping the team achieve promotion back to the Premier League at the end of his first season.

Reflecting on his Rovers career, he said: “Winning promotion in itself was amazing, but it wasn’t an individual highlight for myself, it was a highlight for the whole club.

“It was special to be part of that squad, because getting promoted back to the Premier League at that time was so important for the club for a variety of different reasons.

“Jack Walker had died at the beginning of that season, so everyone wanted to do it for him.

“And financially, who knows what would have happened to the club had we not gone up at the end of that season.

“As for individual highlights, I just liked the fact that every time we put on a shirt for Blackburn, especially against the bigger clubs, we always gave people a run for their money.

“When you consider the resources we had, compared to a lot of the teams we were up against, I thought we did an amazing job of competing against them, and I was very proud to be a part of that.

“The eight years I spent at Blackburn are definitely the best of my career so far, and I just want to wish all the players, and the new staff, and the board, all the luck with everything they do in the future. ”