Davy Klaassen claims Sam Allardyce ended hopes of reviving his Everton career.
Klaassen left Goodison Park in the summer to join Werder Bremen after failing to cement a regular first-team role since his £23.6 million arrival from Ajax.
The midfielder fell out of favour in the wake of Ronald Koeman’s sacking, making just five appearances under both Allardyce and caretaker David Unsworth.
But Klaassen believes Allardyce’s appointment signalled a death knell to his time at the Blues, despite previously making concessions about his short-lived spell.
“Unsworth is a fine guy, although he had different thoughts about football than I did, which he can,” he told Voetbal International.
“He did not find me physical enough to play his way of football. He had a theory that my technical qualities would be better if I were physically stronger.
“The logic of this escaped me a bit, but it was clear to me that I didn’t have to count on playing time.
“After a month, Sam Allardyce was appointed and from that moment on it was hopeless.”
He added: “I think no one at Everton can say that I didn’t do my best. And how difficult it sometimes was.
“The last few months I drove to the club knowing how much it would suck.”
The 25-year-old also revealed how Allardyce’s replacement Marco Silva decided to call time on his Merseyside stint after just three sessions of Everton’s pre-season campaign.
“After three training sessions, the coach came to me and said that for my position he had confidence in others,” said Klaassen.
“It may sound crazy, but I was happy with the clarity of Everton. That is better than again entering into a hopeless battle.
“The step to Everton seemed, after my years of experience at Ajax, very logical. But that did not work out well. So doubts grew.”