Former Black Stars captain, Asamoah Gyan has disclosed that Premier League side Sunderland urged him to leave the club after receiving an offer from the United Arab Emirates.
According to him, when Al Ain proposed a lucrative loan deal, Sunderland assessed it with the idea that he might return at the end of the season.
However, after the expiration of the loan, the Black Cats advised him to depart permanently in order to generate funds to help develop the club.
AFCON is like the World Cup to me – Asamoah Gyan
Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Gyan added that he enjoyed the best period of his career in the UAE with Al Ain and fell in love with the people there, which influenced his decision to stay.
“There were a lot of stories coming up at that time, but it was Sunderland who told me to leave. That’s mad because the deal that came was a loan, and they felt they could capitalize on it, thinking I’d go for the deal and then come back. Initially, that was my plan to go for the deal and then return.
“But when I went there, I fell in love with the place. So I had to just focus on the option to buy. I said, ‘okay, I’ll go with the option to buy because I fell in love with the place’,” he said.
Gyan joined Sunderland from French club Rennes in August 2010 for £13 million following his impressive performance at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
The Ghanaian forward shockingly left the Black Cats to join United Arab Emirates side Al Ain after just two seasons, despite being an important member of the squad.
Watch Gyan’s remarks below:
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