New Fulham signing Steven Davis admits a lack of opportunities drove him away from Aston Villa.

He said: "I talked to my girlfriend and my family and decided I couldn't go through another season like last season when I wasn't playing.

"It was a difficult decision to leave Villa when it's the only club I've played for, but at the same time it was an easy decision football-wise because I want to play."

The 22-year-old admits he was baffled why he couldn't keep his place in the team after winning the Player of the Year the previous season.

"It's hard for me to put my finger on exactly what went wrong at Villa," he said.

"I knew where I stood anyway and I didn't want to stay and not play," said Davis. "I want to be involved in the first-team and last season was very frustrating for me. I'd been down at Fulham to have a look around and then took some time to make up my mind."