Paddy McNair demanded to be sold by Man United

Sunderland defender Paddy McNair has described how he defied Jose Mourinho by refusing to go out on loan.

The Northern Ireland international – currently sidelined after an ACL injury – was earmarked for a loan by new Manchester United manager Mourinho but instead demanded to be sold.

McNair was then sold to Sunderland in a combined £5.5m deal with Donald Love; he had played 24 Premier League games under Louis van Gaal.

“He wanted me to go on loan and I went in to see Jose and just said ‘look, if you don’t let me go on a permanent, I’m just going to stay here,” he told the BBC.

“That’s how strongly I thought about it. At the time, it’s what I wanted so I’ve got no regrets. I think he quite liked how I was straight up. I said I wanted to leave, that I didn’t want to go on loan.

“I think he respected that. I told him that I’d been here since I was 12 years old and club could at least let me do what I want to do.

“I spoke to Ed Woodward and said the same to him. I was refusing to go on loan basically. I just wanted a new challenge and off I went.”