Nedum Onuoha has confirmed he rejected northern Championship clubs before opting for a move to the United States.
Former QPR captain Onuoha completed his move to Real Salt Lake this week.
The defender made 207 league appearances for the R’s, who signed him from Manchester City in 2012.
West London Sport recently revealed that Onuoha was in talks with the Major League Soccer outfit and later revealed he had agreed terms, having intended to return north but rejected the deals on offer and instead looked across the Atlantic.
West London Sport also revealed in April that Onuoha and Jack Robinson would not sign new deals at QPR when their contracts expired at the end of the season.
And Onuoha has told BBC Manchester: “I have always been someone that wanted to go an experience something a bit different.
“I spoke to a few Championship clubs quite close to here [Manchester], one in the Premier League, but it didn’t quite feel right and I didn’t want to retire thinking ‘I wish I had done this’.”