Nigerian star Finidi George has spoken of his regret at his time with Ipswich Town, admitting he 'couldn't meet the expectations of the fans.'
Winger George, a star of the popular Super Eagles World Cup teams of 1994 and 1998, signed for Town from Mallorca for £3m back in August 2001, the season after the Blues had wowed the Premier League with a fifth-placed finish following their promotion to the top tier.
He was supposed to help take Town to the next level, but was ultimately unable to have the impact at Portman Road that everyone expected, leaving in June 2003 with the the Blues back in the Championship.
In total, he played just 46 times for Ipswich, scoring eight goals.
And now, in an interview with Tribal Football, the 50-year-old revealed that he still has regrets about his time with the Blues.
He said: "At Ipswich, I didn't play the way I ought to play. I was not fit enough due to injuries and the team dropped.
"It was very unfortunate due to injuries I suffered and I felt I did not have the continuity of playing at my best.
"The team treated me well, the fans showed me great love, but my only regret is that I could not meet the expectations of the fans to remain in the Premiership. The team was relegated."
George also admitted he wished he had stayed in England longer.
"I would have loved to stay longer in England but that didn't work out," he said. "Your team gets relegated, everything changes at the club.
"I would have loved to stay between four to six seasons but that didn't happen. I can't fix that. My playing time is over. I'm a coach now."
George, who also played for Ajax and Real Betis in his impressive career, revealed that he could have come to England earlier than he did - with Spurs.
He explained: "Before I signed for Ipswich, there were rumours of Tottenham wanting to sign me in 1998 after the World Cup in France but that deal did not go through.
"If that had gone through, I would had played in England years before I played for Ipswich."
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