Esteban Granero has insisted that the decision to leave his boyhood club Real Madrid for Queens Park Rangers earlier this summer was not a "dramatic" one for him to make.

The 25-year-old came through the ranks at the Bernabeu before leaving to join city rivals Getafe in search of regular starting action in 2007.

However, the midfielder returned to Real in 2009 as Los Blancos exercised the buy-back clause that they inserted in the deal that saw Granero leave two years earlier.

Despite admitting that it was "big change" to leave the Spanish champions, Granero revealed that he is "excited" to be part of the ongoing project at Queens Park Rangers.

"It is my club since I was eight. Of course it is a big change but it was not that dramatic for me because of what is waiting for me here," he told reporters. "I was so excited to be important here. I've played three years for Real Madrid and now I'm more mature, both in my mind and football."

Granero struggled to establish himself during his second stint with Real, making just 17 appearances in La Liga last season.

Madrid have often been criticised for their failure to allow players from the youth team to break into the senior squad. As well as a Granero, Chelsea's Juan Mata was also allowed to leave for pastures new earlier in his career.

Granero, though, holds no grudges against his former employers.

"Real has very good players," he added. "They can sign the best players in the world and they have to be the best players [to play for them]. I think they are doing good because they won the championship."

In total, Granero had 96 outings in a Madrid shirt.