Inter Milan midfielder Saphir Taider claims he decided to cut short his loan deal at Southampton and head to Sassuolo because of "personal reasons".

Taider moved to St Mary's on a season-long loan from Inter Milan earlier this summer as part of the deal which saw striker Dani Osvaldo head the other way.

But, after just three weeks, the Premier League club cut the 22-year-old's stay short, claiming that he "failed to live up to the high levels of commitment expected of Southampton players".

However, Taider insists it was his decision to return to Italy and spoke of his joy at joining Inter's Serie A rivals Sassuolo for the remainder of the campaign.

"I was at Inter, then went to England where I was okay, but for personal reasons I decided to come back to Italy," he told Sassuolo Channel.

"I had several different offers, but I chose Sassuolo and hope to have a great season. It's a new adventure for me, but I know Serie A and learned a lot at Inter.

"In two days I settled very well into the group, as there are some fantastic lads who I get on with. You can see this is their second season in Serie A, so the club has grown.

"The coach (Eusebio Di Francesco) is a fantastic person who knows how to joke around, but also work hard. I am at his disposal.

"Di Francesco knows full well what my preferred role is, but the important thing is to honor the club colors."