Ian Maatsen has revealed that leaving Chelsea in January was not an easy decision for him to make because he really wanted to stay back and fight for his place at Stamford Bridge.

Maatsen was one of two senior Chelsea players that were loaned out in the winter transfer window.

The 22-year-old joined Borussia Dortmund in search of more football minutes, after failing to get ahead of Ben Chilwell, Marc Cucurella and Levi Colwill.

It was a rather unfortunate turn of events for the Dutchman, who had impressed while on loan with Burnley in the previous season, with the Clarets even having a permanent bid for him turned down during the last summer transfer window.

Since moving to Dortmund, Ian Maatsen has played more regularly than he did under Mauricio Pochettino, and there is an expectation that he would join the Germans for good later this summer.

The Chelsea star recently opened up on his Dortmund loan in an interview with The Guardian, and now claims it was a move he needed to make.

“I had trust at Chelsea but with the pressure they are under it is sometimes difficult for a manager to let everyone play,” Maatsen said.

“He has to make decisions for the team. You have to deal with it as a young player. Sometimes it’s not fair but maybe it’s the best decision for the club and other teammates. I appreciate that. But I want to play football.

“I thought I was ready to compete for the big clubs. But sometimes football works like this. I didn’t get a lot of opportunities. It’s not the end of the world but you have to be ready. You always have to believe because football can go quickly.”

Chelsea will be expecting to make some profit from the sale of Ian Maatsen during the summer.