The 21-year-old moved to the Liberty Stadium in July after failing to nail down a regular starting spot at Anfield under Brendan Rodgers.
And Shelvey, who has started all three of his new club's Premier League games so far this season, revealed it was a desire to play regular football that motivated his decision to leave Anfield, rather than any ill-feeling towards the club.
"Brendan (Rodgers) told me I could stay there and see what happened. It really was my choice. I wasn't pushed," Shelvey told The Daily Mail.
"I wanted to play football. I would hate to be one of those sitting on my money. It is in my character, the way I was brought up.
"Even Brendan said, 'You're not one of these squad players happy to stand around'."
Shelvey, who made 47 appearances for Liverpool after joining from Charlton Athletic in 2010, acknowledged that the performances of captain Steven Gerrard were always going to make it difficult for him to win a place in Liverpool's midfield.
"It's a big thing, trying to knock Steven out of the team," the England international continued.
"If you had a really good game, the next week you might still be out because the likes of Gerrard are coming back and you can't argue with it - it's crazy how good he is."
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