Papy Djilobodji admits that his decision to join Dijon in the summer was in part due to the fact that he did not want to play in the Championship with Sunderland.
The Senegal defender joined the Ligue 1 outfit on a season-long loan deal from Sunderland in the recently concluded transfer window after a poor season in the Premier League with the Black Cats.
Djilobodji did not play regular football last season in a disastrous Premier League campaign for the Black Cats and he admits that he was not too eager to play in the second tier of English football following their relegation.
The defender told France Football: “I was not very sold on playing in the Championship.
“I had this chance to return to Ligue 1 – I will work and enjoy it.”
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Djilobodji admits that the season at Sunderland was not an easy one as he lost his place in the team and he remained a peripheral figure in a struggling squad at the Stadium of Light
While he remained professional, the defender admits that it was not easy to sit on the bench every week last season at Sunderland, but insists he did not feel he needed to speak to then manager David Moyes about his situation.
“At the beginning, I was playing with more or less good performances, but after my suspension against West Brom, the coach stopped playing me.
“I was on the bench until the end of the season, but I never met the coach to ask for anything.
"For me it was up to him to decide what was going on in training.
"I kept encouraging the team and remained professional.
“It was not easy to live in the situation. Now I'm thinking about the future."
The defender will be eyeing a good campaign in France with Dijon, who are currently second bottom in Ligue 1 after five games.
