ADAM Murray has insisted he did not want to leave Aggborough after his shock release to Mansfield Town.

The ex-England youth star was touted as a key player for the coming season when he signed an 18-month deal with Kidderminster Harriers last December.

But it appears director of football Jan Molby has had a change of heart and believes Murray's wages will serve Harriers better by pepping up a much-maligned attack.

Agent Gino Culbertson said the 22-year-old creative midfielder had been surprised to find he was available for transfer before finalising a two-year move to Coca-Cola Football League Two rivals Mansfield.

Murray made a useful impact for Harriers with three goals from 22 games, including a loan spell, and won a battle against alcoholism following personal problems.

Culbertson said: "Adam has a lot of affection for the Kidderminster fans. He wants to assure them he has not stabbed anybody in the back and this move was not engineered by him.

"When he signed with Kidderminster, it was the right way to make his entrance back into football and he'll always be grateful for that. He enjoyed his time at the club and wishes everyone well.

"A couple of weeks ago I started receiving calls from a couple of managers completely out of the blue. I was then advised by Kidderminster that he was available. It's down to the financial situation and the club wanting to change things around.

"Adam did have a couple of knocks towards the end of the season and some of his performances weren't what they should have been. But some of his displays when fit were outstanding. He brought an awful lot of quality to the side."

Harriers chairman Colin Youngjohns backed Molby's decision and declared: "This will free up more money. Jan's priorities are different to what they were before he knew how his squad would pan out. The board haven't altered the budget at all.

"I'm aware he has got something in mind which must involve moving things around a bit. I'll give him licence to do that. I don't interfere and the decisions are his."

And, on the absence of a fee for the talented Murray, Youngjohns insisted: "If there had been a possibility of that happening, we would have done it.

"At our level of the game very few people are paying transfer fees."

Murray has taken a drop in basic wage to go to Mansfield but Culbertson admitted the salary was performance-related with bonuses for wins, appearances and goals making it potentially more lucrative.

Transfer action is imminent at Harriers with the players returning for training and Molby back from Portugal on Monday.

They start their League Two campaign at Rushden and Diamonds on August 7.