Marseille manager Andre Villas-Boas has confirmed Morgan Sanson didn’t play in Saturday’s defeat to Monaco because he is joining Aston Villa.

“Sanson didn’t have the mind to play, as the club decided to let him go,” Villas-Boas told a press conference. 

“I asked Morgan if he had the mind to play. He said, ‘Boss, this is hard for me’. So I told him I was taking him out of the match. And then he left the group and the club allowed him to leave for Villa.”