"Hameur wouldn't necessarily have been a starter," said Boothroyd.
"If everyone had been fit, Tommy Smith and Jobi McAnuff would have started.
"We had a player who I didn't think was anywhere near ready to move. He should have stayed a little bit longer, to grow and develop.
"But the lure of the Premier League, and the money to be made by all concerned, is a heavy burden sometimes."