Middlesbrough reportedly have dropped out of the race for Sunderland midfielder, Paddy McNair by withdrawing their £5m bid and in the process giving Stoke City a massive boost. The Potters are looking for additions to the midfielder even after signing Joe Allen to a new long-term contract. Gary Rowett still has to beat out the competition for the 23-year-old Black Cats player but is reported to be in the lead for his services.
McNair is a product of the Manchester United youth academy and later moved to the Stadium Of Light for a £5.5m transfer fee. The central midfielder rebelled against Jose Mourinho to force a move out of Old Trafford.
The Portuguese boss wanted to send him out on loan for his development but McNair could not be convinced with a lack of senior team involvement. His only appearances for the Red Devils’ first team was registered under Louis Van Gaal and that too as a defender.
McNair shed light on the reported disagreement with Mourinho and said, “I had a think about it when I was out on the pre-season tour and even a little bit when I was at the Euros, I never wanted to go on loan. I was adamant I wanted to go on a permanent move. I spoke to Mourinho for a couple of weeks and basically persuaded him to let me go on a permanent deal.”
“I see too many players go out on loan that don’t play. You’re never their player; it’s a loan. I just wanted to go to Sunderland and play in the Premier League every week and that was my thinking behind it. I’ve no regrets.”
The Northern Ireland international can appear from the defensive end of the pitch but prefers to be more creatively involved. He played in 16 games for Sunderland in the Championship last season and scored on 5 occasions. Unfortunately, he was mostly kept out of action due to a nagging knee injury.
The 23-year-old took a risk leaving the mighty United which unfortunately bore the wrong fruit. Now he has to reconsider his future with the League One side and the bet365 seems like the perfect escape.
Read More: Southampton Looking To Make A Move For Veteran Stoke City Midfield Ace: Right Fit For Mark Hughes?
Gary Rowett is known to prefer younger talents and is well aware of what McNair brings to the table. Stoke are plotting an immediate bounce back to the Premier League and bolstering the midfield will certainly help achieve that.
