Roker Roundup: Chris Maguire says he was “gutted” to leave Sunderland

Maguire gutted to leave Sunderland

Chris Maguire was a popular player during his three years with Sunderland but was released in the summer after 125 games and 28 goals for the club.

The 32-year-old signed for Lincoln City on a free transfer and will work under his former boss at Oxford United, Michael Appleton, but the playmaker admitted to Lincolnshire Live that he was gutted to leave Sunderland:

I had three years at the club and loved every minute of it and was gutted to leave.

But the new manager came in and obviously didn’t take a fancy to me. Basically, before the season was done, I knew I wasn’t going to get a contract.

It was disappointing because I didn’t feel I was given an opportunity to work for that contract, but that’s football.

I was disappointed the way it ended for myself but I’m now focused on Lincoln.

Despite being disappointed with his spell at the Stadium of Light ended, Maguire is looking forward to playing for a team that likes to play good football:

It was a young, energetic squad. They were fearless.

It looked like they were enjoying their football and playing with a smile on their face. It was always a tough game and, over the course of the season, they had the best away record. You don’t get that by being lucky.

They were probably the best footballing team that we came up against last season. You want to play in a team that plays good football.

Photo by Chris Vaughan - CameraSport via Getty Images

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Ex-Black Cats in the news

Former Sunderland defender Paul McShane has signed a deal to return to Manchester United, 15 years after leaving Old Trafford to sign for West Bromwich Albion.

The 35-year-old was a free agent after his contract at Rochdale expired and returns to the Red Devils in a player-coach role that will see him work with the club’s various youth teams as well as being a playing option for their under-23 team.

Patrick van Aanholt has agreed a deal that will see him sign for Turkish outfit Galatasaray on a three-year deal that will keep him at the club until 2023.

Sunderland sold the left-back to Crystal Palace for a fee rising to £14m in 2017 and he has now departed Selhurst Park after 134 appearances for the Londoners.

Another former Sunderland left-back has also found a new club, after Andrea Dossena was appointed the new head coach of Serie C side Ravenna.

Speaking to the local newspaper Ravenna24ore, Dossena explained what his new club’s fans can expect from their new side:

When I see that the opponent has the ball I feel bad, I want a team that imposes its own game and goes to recover the ball immediately. I want my team, regardless of who goes to play, always play to win.

Finally, we may see Benjani following Dossena into management soon, as the former Sunderland striker has completed his UEFA ‘A’ License.

Benjani was in the same class as Mark Hughes and Christopher Samba and, speaking to SAfm, he explained that he decided to go for his coaching badges after being stuck in the UK due to the lockdown:

I was caught in between and that was a very good thing, I decided to do my coaching badges during that lockdown.

Fortunate enough, I made it. I have just completed my UEFA A licence.

I was with Portsmouth on attachment whilst I was doing these badges. Now I need to forward my CV to the clubs and see how it goes.

Photo by John Walton - PA Images via Getty Images