Fulham defender Cyrus Christie has shed further light on his surprise Middlesbrough exit and admits it's a "shame" that his time on Teesside ended so abruptly.
The Republic of Ireland international was one of club's first signings of the summer as he swapped Derby for the Riverside in July 2017, and started 21 of Garry Monk's 23 Championship matches in charge.
But following the 39-year-old's sacking just before Christmas, Christie soon lost his place in the Boro first-team as successor Tony Pulis opted for Ryan Shotton at right-back.
As a result, Christie followed Martin Braithwaite out of the exit door on deadline day, ending his six-month stint in the North-east and joining Fulham on a permanent deal.
While Pulis hinted last month that Christie was among those itching for a move away from Boro during the winter window, the full-back has reiterated it was the club's desire to move him off the books - not the other way around.
"I'd gone to Middlesbrough and the new manager had bought quite a few lads in to play a certain way. It was new beginnings for them and a totally different brand of football," Christie said.
"I was enjoying it and I thought we were playing well. It was a shock that Garry Monk was sacked, especially considering we'd just picked up a couple of wins. Tony Pulis came in and had a completely different style.
"He wasn't an attack-minded manager, he wanted to sit back, get 11 men behind the ball and try and get something from a set piece.
"He had his way of playing and I didn't fit into that. He told me if a team came in for me then I could leave, so I had to make a decision.
"I did enjoy my time there; the fans, players and staff were brilliant with me and I've made some good friends. We had a good group. It was just a shame how it ended."
Christie also revealed how his move to Fulham actually materialised before deadline day , with the Cottagers eager to sign the 25-year-old on loan.
But Boro were unwilling to sanction the deal, leaving Christie with an awkward wait until Slavisa Jokanovic's side rekindled their interest hours before the deadline.
"(Fulham) did speak to me in the summer before I went to Middlesbrough but nothing came of it," he said.
"Then they came along a couple of days before the transfer window shut in January as they'd been watching the situation after Pulis came in as manager.
"The talk was of a loan move with a view to a permanent, but Boro didn't want that. So it only really kicked off on deadline day and we managed to get it over the line just before the window closed.
"It was a long day. I was down in London from early in the morning, I was on a 7.30am train to the capital. It was just a waiting game to get it done, but thankfully it did and I'm just happy to be here now and joining a fantastic club.
"I've always been impressed with Fulham when I've played against them. Craven Cottage was always a tough place to go and their style of play certain suits me."