Will Still arrived at Southampton in May and was out in November.
The Belgian spoke to Canal Football Club of Canal+ on Sunday evening and L’Equipe have relayed his comments.
Southampton appointed Still as their manager in July, and he was in charge of the Saints for 16 matches.
The Championship side won only four of those, of which two were in the EFL Cup against Northampton Town and Norwich City.
Southampton had one win in his last 12 league matches. That run convinced the English club to part ways with him on November 2nd and appoint Tonda Eckert as his successor.
Still then had an opportunity to return to France and join FC Nantes, after the Ligue 1 side parted ways with Luís Castro. Their initial plan was to bring in the 33-year-old before Ahmed Kantari took charge on December 10th.
However, the former Southampton boss decided against joining the French club and has now explained his reasoning.
“It wasn’t a problem, but rather a question of timing for me, which wasn’t ideal. I wanted to bring in staff, some people, and those people are still at their clubs,” he said.
Manager taking time after Southampton
Last month, we covered claims from France that Still also snubbed AS Saint-Étienne. It was reported his preference is to continue in England after leaving the Saints.
The 33-year-old hasn’t confirmed or denied this report. He explained aspects that are non-negotiable for him when deciding his next club.
“And then, selfishly, I also want to think about my career,” Still explained.
“The next step in my career is important. I want to make the right choice with enough perspective and not jump into something where I don’t have all the information, where I don’t have complete control.
“I was very respectful, I thanked the Kita family [Nantes owner], but I told myself that for me, I prefer to take a step back, analyse what has happened over the last three or four years. The next step will be what it will be.”
