Former Aston Villa and Coventry City attacker Nii Odartey Lamptey has revealed he endured a difficult time in England because their style of play was too strong for him.
Odartey moved to the European country in the 90s after impressing in the Dutch top-flight with Anderlecht and PSV, however, he failed to excel.
He first joined Aston Villa on loan in 1994 where he scored just three goals in less than a dozen appearances in all competitions.
Despite his struggling at Villa, Conventry offered him another opportunity to make a name for himself in England. But he disappointed and was forced to make a switch to Italian side Venezia.
“It was really too much for me, to me it was a wrong decision to move to England at that time," Lamptey, who has advised in-demand Ghana midfielder Thomas Teye Partey to snub English clubs Arsenal and Manchester United in the wake of transfer reports, told the Daily Graphic newspaper.
"I went there because Anderlecht did not want to approve of my stay in Holland, which would have helped me much and I was also not willing to return to Belgium.
“It was not easy to fit into the [Premier League] in those days. Their style of play was too robust for my liking and besides, I met very tall players, so I struggled to cope.
“Their style of play never suited me at all. The players were not only tall but also they liked playing long balls and running for them.
"I was short and skilful at that time so it affected my performance so much.”