Jarell Quansah has revealed he left Liverpool for Bayer Leverkusen in search of more gametime after being marginalised by manager Arne Slot.
The 22-year-old came through Liverpool's academy and made 58 senior appearances for the club, but started just four Premier League games last season having been substituted at half-time in Slot's first competitive match in charge for "tactical reasons."
Quansah did not start another league match until December. He departed in July after Leverkusen agreed a £35 million fee.
"I have been learning from some of the best players around me at the time at Liverpool," Quansah said.
"Being able to do that has been so good for my career. It has always been a big part of it. At this part of my career, 22 turning 23, [in January] I need hundreds of games to be where I want to be.
"I think overall that's why the decision was made and why I thought going abroad was best for me."
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Quansah, who won the European Under-21 Championship this summer, has been selected for five previous England squads by three different managers -- Gareth Southgate, interim boss Lee Carsley and Thomas Tuchel -- without ever making his England debut.
"It is not a strange feeling, I'm really delighted to be here," he said.
"[It is] always a huge honour to get called up and I'm thankful for the manager for that as well. It is always about learning from the senior players who have more caps than I do.
"Hopefully it is something I will achieve, a cap for England."
England host Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday before travelling to Latvia for a World Cup qualifier next Tuesday.
