Joe Allen has revealed that he only found out for definite that he was leaving Liverpool when one of his friends sent him a text message congratulating him on his move to Stoke City.
The midfielder signed for the Potters earlier this summer, following an impressive stint at Euro 2016 for Wales, in a £14 million deal.
With just one year remaining on his contract at Anfield, and game time far from assured under Jurgen Klopp, it made sense all round for Allen to move onto pastures new.
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But he could probably be forgiven for expecting a better send off, with the club agreeing his sale seemingly without keeping him in the loop.
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Allen revealed: "I actually had a text message off a friend congratulating me about making the move when I didn't even know it was happening at the time.
"Not knowing whether the club intend to sell you or keep you, especially when you're trying to ask the question, is disappointing.
"If I'm honest, to find out they accepted an offer through the press isn't the best way of going about business, I don't think," Allen added.
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"The communication wasn't great but as soon as Liverpool accepted an offer I knew what their intentions were for me. It was a bit strange but that's how things happen sometimes.
"There was no real goodbye, but I'm not the most sentimental person anyway. It's irrelevant now because sitting here I've got the move I wanted."
Allen has become something of a cult figure to Liverpool fans, so most will probably be disappointed to hear how his departure was handled.
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Still, Allen can probably expect a warm homecoming when he returns to Anfield on Boxing Day with his Stoke teammates.
It never would have happened under Brendan Rodgers...
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Topics: Liverpool, Football, Stoke City