DUSAN Tadic left Saints because he had ‘grown tired of everything’. 

The Serbian ace joined Ajax in the summer for a fee believed to be £10m, which could rise to £11.4m, and has taken the Dutch league by storm.

Tadic, 30, already has 22 goals to his name - only 12 less than Saints have managed in all competitions this season - for Ajax, from just 34 games.

Speaking on former footballer Andy van der Meijde's YouTube channel, the ex-Saint said: “For me, it was enough in England because I was a little bit tired of everything.

“I played all the time for four years.

“In Southampton, for the first two years, we had a great team with [Ronald] Koeman and we had very good seasons.

“We finished number six and number seven, which is the best in the history of the club and we had very good players.

“Then after that, in the third and fourth year, we were getting worse and worse.

“We sold a lot of players and, after that, it was difficult.

“We finished number eight in the third year, but it wasn’t the same feeling.

“When you are there when it was the best, and after when it’s not so good, you feel a little bit like you need to go and I was also tired from the Premier League.”

Tadic spent four seasons in the Premier League Saints, after joining the St Mary’s side from FC Twente in 2014.

He amassed a total of 134 appearances for the club, scoring 23 goals.

As a playmaker, Tadic felt he wasn’t offered enough ‘protection’ from the referees in England, which played a factor in him joining Ajax.

“For offensive players, the Premier League isn’t so good because you aren’t protected. You are already tired of kicking and everything,” he added,

“I remember after every game, I had ice [on my legs]. I said, ‘After my career, I don’t want to see ice anymore, not even in a bottle’.

“You get tired from that because you aren’t protected as an offensive player. For a defender or a defensive midfielder who just kicks, it’s perfect.

“In Holland, and in other countries, you are protected. If they touch you a little bit, it’s a foul.”

Tadic also revealed that he could have joined another Premier League club in the summer, adding: “I had a lot of offers.

“There were a lot of teams who offered money, a lot of teams from the Premier League and offers from other countries like Italy.

“My heart is close to Holland. I like Holland and Ajax was always my dream club.”