Federico Fazio has claimed "non-sporting issues" were behind his lack of minutes for Tottenham this season and subsequent transfer deadline day departure.
On Monday, the defender returned to his former club Sevilla on loan until the end of the season after making just one appearance for Spurs this term in the League Cup defeat to Arsenal in September.
Fazio's entourage have previously claimed he was frozen out by Spurs after rejecting a move to West Brom in the summer.
And the 28-year-old, who made 20 Premier League appearances last season, believes his display on the pitch were not the problem.
"When I got there I played in almost everything, but last year non-sporting issues prevailed and so I looked for a way out," Marca quoted him as saying.
"It's in the past. I knew it, so I was very calm and I trained twice as hard as my teammates."
Sevilla have confirmed that Fazio's loan deal does not include an option to buy at the end of the season, and the player said that meant his future was unclear.
"I have come for six months, so we'll see. The important thing is for the team to achieve our objectives, get into the Champions League and try to get as far as we can into the two cups," he added.