Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala has confirmed that he rejected the chance to join Valencia, explaining the move “would have been a step back”.
The Frenchman was offered to Los Che as part of the €44m deal which took Nicolas Otamendi to the Etihad Stadium in August but declined as he still believed in his ability to command a place in Manuel Pellegrini's starting XI.
“I refused the move [to Valencia] because it would have been a step back,” he told Sky Sports.
“I think I'm good enough to be a starter for [City].”
