Eidur Gudjohnsen insists he never considered quitting during his frustrating spell at Stoke City.
Striker never thought of quitting during Stoke frustration
Eidur Gudjohnsen insists he never considered quitting during his frustrating spell at Stoke City and admits he feels 'loved' again after joining Fulham.
The experienced striker joined Stoke on a 12-month deal last summer, but made just five substitute appearances before linking up with Fulham on loan in January.
He will become a free agent at the end of the season and Fulham boss Mark Hughes has already indicated he could be prepared to keep the 32-year-old on a permanent basis.
The Iceland international is enjoying his time at Craven Cottage and, despite his frustration at Stoke, he never thought about hanging up his boots.
Frustrating
"It's nice to be loved again," said Gudjohnsen. "I'll say that blatantly, I feel the coaching staff are happy to have me here and have great belief in me.
"That helps. No disrespect to Stoke, if you are not in the team it's frustrating.
"I thought that if nothing happens at Stoke I might just fade away a little bit. I needed to move. I felt so bad.
"It had been April since I started a game in the league. Too long had gone by.
"There was no negativity. I spoke to (Stoke boss) Tony Pulis and we came to the conclusion that it might be better for both parties if I moved on.
"Packing in never crossed my mind. I always felt I have enough left in me and I intend to use this time to get my playing career back on track."
Weird
Gudjohnsen, who includes Chelsea, Barcelona, Monaco and Tottenham among his former clubs, remains confused why his spell at Stoke proved such a disappointment.
"It was weird that basically I never got the chance," he said. "I made a handful of substitute appearances - 10 to 15 minutes max.
"Nothing bad happened, it just didn't work out - different styles of play maybe.
"A difference of opinion, it was difficult to say what it was. In the end it was an easy decision to leave.
"The boys at Fulham have welcomed me in the dressing room with open arms. They're a good bunch of lads and I've got a lot to give still."
