Dirk Kuyt humbled by Liverpool fans

An “emotional” Dirk Kuyt today revealed he had been inundated with messages of support from Liverpool fans since quitting the club on Sunday.

Kuyt's six-year love affair with the Reds finally came to an end two days ago when he signed for Fenerbahce.

The 31-year-old, who fell down the pecking order at Anfield last season, admitted his increasing lack of game time was behind his decision to move on.

"My last season at Liverpool wasn't the best one," Kuyt said.

"I thought that I should've played more so, after six years, I just had a feeling I needed to change something in my career, a new experience, a new country, new people around me, and that's why I made the decision to leave.

"I had a great time and I had great team-mates. The club was great, the people were great and the people from Liverpool - the text messages, the phone calls, the e-mails, all the tweets I had on my Twitter account - it's unbelievable how much respect they showed me and it's also a bit emotional.

"They wished me good luck and they said that they will miss me."

Holland striker Kuyt, currently on international duty ahead of the European Championship, admitted leaving Liverpool was one of the toughest decisions he had ever made.

He added: "On one hand, it's always very sad when you have to leave a football club after six years.

"But, on the other hand, you also look to the future and I think Fenerbahce is a great club, with also great supporters and I really look forward to the new experience."

Kuyt also revealed he snubbed Hamburg for Turkish giants Fenerbahce because of the lure of playing Champions League football.

The forward, who has been denied that privilege since Liverpool last qualified in 2009, said: "I spoke with Hamburg, my agent spoke with Hamburg, and I had a feeling about the club.

"But, at the end of the day, the best feeling for me was Fenerbahce.

"For me, it was also really important to play in Europe and to play Champions League."

PA