Crystal Palace goalkeeper Johnstone: Leaving Man Utd was right decision

Crystal Palace goalkeeper Sam Johnstone is delighted with his current form.

Reflecting on his Manchester United background, Johnstone has no regrets leaving when he did.

He told Palace's website: I never made one competitive appearance for Manchester United, and I don't dwell on it.

I left, and I've played for England and in the Premier League by leaving. To grow up at a club like that, with the facilities, the standards set every day on and off the pitch at top clubs, what you do off the pitch is as important as on the pitch, so from going on trips abroad at 12-years-old

You're smart, you're respectful to people, all of that stuff is drilled into you from that age, at home and at the club. I was so lucky to grow up in a place like that, but you get to an age where you know you're not going to play in the first-team.

David de Gea is two years older than me and came in at [Manchester United at] 19 or 20. My thought process then was 'go on loan, get those games' there was a lot of learning in those spells, but you could go back to Man United, then go out, get that experience, come back, smash it with training and the quality, back on loan, learn something else, back on loan, more games, more learning curves

I had all my loans. Each year I got higher, a bit of a bigger club, more pressure. I went to my hometown Preston and got promoted and played at Wembley with them, which was another pressure!

All these experiences, when you look back on them playing at Wembley with Preston, and then a year or two later at Wembley with Aston Villa, and then the next year playing at Wembley with England those experiences have come together I made the step to leave [Manchester United] at 25 and I didn't regret it.

I have high standards every day, every game, and I've stuck by that. It's not to prove a point to them."