• Premier League

McClean hits out at Sunderland fans

ESPN staff
August 19, 2013
James McClean was Sunderland's Young Player of the Year in his first season © PA Photos
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Wigan winger James McClean has revealed his decision to leave Sunderland was down to the club's fans hounding him out of the Stadium of Light.

McClean, 23, moved to the Championship side for £1.5 million earlier in the month after becoming surplus to requirements under Black Cats manager Paolo Di Canio.

Despite earning the club's Young Player of the Year award in his first season after arriving from Derry City in 2011, the Ireland international struggled to recapture the same form last term.

However, McClean, who was involved in a handful of off-field controversies during his time on Wearside, claims that his exit was down to fan opinion, rather than being based on his performances on the pitch.

"Leaving the club was nothing to do with how I was playing," McClean told the Evening Chronicle. "But it was definitely needed. My time was up at Sunderland, that's why I asked to leave.

"It's never nice when your own fans are booing you before you even get on the pitch. The season before I was the best thing since sliced bread."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd
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