Rasmus Kristensen reveals the reason he decided to leave Leeds United in the summer

Roma defender Rasmus Kristensen has detailed why he decided to leave Leeds United on loan over the summer, with Jose Mourinho a key reason for his Elland Road exit.

The full-back was full of praise for his current boss, stating he is one of the greatest coaches in history and has won all there is to win, so he jumped at the opportunity to work and learn under him in Rome.

It was shared by Sport.TV2 that Kristensen will return to Leeds at the end of his loan spell according to the current plan at Roma, but he is relishing the challenging start he has faced.

Speaking in an interview with Danish news outlet Sport.TV2 [11 October], Kristensen claimed: "He [Mourinho] is a fantastic coach. That is one reason why I chose to go to Rome. 

"He is one of the greatest coaches in history who has won everything there is to win. And he has that aura too.

"For me, he is a coach who is at the very top. So of course I wanted to try to work with him. So far it has been totally cool and educational.

"There are many new things. It is of course a new dressing room in a new country and a different way of thinking about football.

"It [Roma] is a huge club, so you can feel the attention that surrounds the players in Italy. But there is a cool dynamic in the club. I think it has been cool, educational and challenging."

Not the dream exit he had hoped for

It has been a turbulent start to his career in Italy for the defender. He has been left out of Mourinho's Europa League squad and reports claim the former Chelsea boss has not been impressed by the Dane.

He will be hoping to turn his fortunes around, with the challenge of upping his level and learning under his new boss something he claims to be relishing, but an upturn in form will be necessary.

As the report claims, he will be returning to Elland Road after his loan deal as Roma have already decided they will not want to keep him on beyond the initial year-long spell.

He will be assessed by Leeds upon his return to Yorkshire at the end of the season, and the club will determine his role in the immediate future and whether he gets back into the side, having jumped ship along with many of his former teammates after Leeds' relegation.

In other Leeds United news, a Spanish side may be lining up a move for one Leeds star.