Alessia Russo explains why she left Man Utd for Arsenal

Alessia Russo says the decision to leave Manchester United for Arsenal last summer was not an easy one to make, but her gut feeling after speaking to people in and around the club helped make up her mind.

The 24-year-old ended a three-year association with United to join Arsenal on a free transfer, months after the Red Devils had rejected two world record transfer bids worth in excess of the £400,000 Barcelona paid Manchester City for Keira Walsh in September 2022.

Russo is still finding her feet on the pitch in north London, having scored just twice in eight WSL games for Arsenal, but things couldn't be more settled for the England international off it.

In a wide-ranging interview with , Russo has admitted that she felt it was the right time to take the next step in her career, detailing the feeling she had about joining Arsenal after everything they've done in the women's game.

«I felt so comfortable. I've got some of my best friends in Manchester. I know I've still got them as friends for life, which is great. But people go through it all the time: you have to step out of your comfort zone,» Russo said.

«That's what I had to do to make the next step. Football moves quickly and within the blink of an eye you find yourself somewhere else. That can be tough. But you are forced to settle in quickly, and things move so fast that you don't even have too much time to think about it.

»I always feel like if you're in the right place and you feel like you've got the right people around you, then the sky's the limit. That's kind of how I feel here. The people are special and that was the most important thing for me. You get a feeling, you get almost a gut feeling when you speak to people and have those conversations and you just kind