Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew believes that Leon Best's only option was to leave the North East club.
The 25-year-old striker made the switch from the Sports Direct Arena to Blackburn Rovers on a three-year deal after becoming frustrated with the lack of first-team football.
"Leon did a great job for me," Pardew told the Shields Gazette. "But the thing about Leon is that he needed regular first-team football.
"You can only play a role where you're in and out of the team for so long. I felt it was right for him, and everybody concerned, that he moved on. He's found himself a club where he'll be playing in the first team, and we all wish him the best of luck."
Best spent two years at Newcastle before opting for a move to the Championship.
