Glen Johnson: 'I turned down chance to stay at Liverpool'

Stoke City defender Glen Johnson has said that he turned down the chance to extend his stay at Liverpool and that he has nothing to prove after leaving the club this summer.

The 30-year-old joined the Potters in July after his contract with the Reds expired at the end of last season.

After making 200 appearances in six years at Anfield, the right-back insists that he left on his own terms and that it was the right time to move on.

"I had a very good time [at Liverpool] and enjoyed the majority of it," he told The Mirror. "But I turned down a new contract at the end of the day, so it ended exactly how I would like.

"I've been in the Premier League for 12 years – I've got nothing to prove. When I was fit I was in the team, simple as that. There's no problems at all."

The England international will face his former club in his first competitive game as a Stoke player when Liverpool visit the Britannia Stadium on Sunday.