Eidur Gudjohnsen admits it is "nice to be loved again" after swapping Stoke for Fulham in an effort to revive his career.
The 32-year-old Iceland striker endured a difficult five months at the Britannia Stadium, where he made just five substitute appearances.
Only two matches into his spell at Fulham and Gudjohnsen is relieved to see the gloom he felt at Stoke is already lifting.
"It's nice to be loved again. I'll say that blatantly, I feel the coaching staff are happy to have me here and have great belief in me," he said.
"That helps. No disrespect to Stoke, if you are not in the team it's frustrating.
"I thought that if nothing happens at Stoke I might just fade away a little bit. I needed to move. I felt so bad.
"It had been since April since I started a game in the league. Too long had gone by.
"There was no negativity. I spoke to (Stoke boss) Tony Pulis and we came to the conclusion that it might be better for both parties if I moved on.
"Packing in never crossed my mind. I always felt I have enough left in me and I intend to use this time to get my playing career back on track."
Gudjohnsen, who includes Chelsea, Barcelona, Monaco and Tottenham among his former clubs, remains confused why his spell at Stoke proved such a disappointment.
"It was weird that basically I never got the chance," he said.
"I made a handful of substitute appearances - 10 to 15 minutes max.
"Nothing bad happened, it just didn't work out - different styles of play maybe.
"A difference of opinion, it was difficult to say what it was. In the end it was an easy decision to leave.
"The boys at Fulham have welcomed me in the dressing room with open arms.
"They're a good bunch of lads and I've got a lot to give still."
Gudjohnsen could feature in Sunday's FA Cup fifth round clash with Bolton.
"The FA Cup is the only trophy I haven't won, apart from the World Cup but I don't think Iceland will be winning that anytime soon," he said.
"I lost the final with Chelsea against Arsenal and that was a time when I hadn't won any trophies either.
"I remember the excitement leading up to the final and it is the most special cup competition in the world because of its history."
