Three years after his controversial and surprise Sunderland exit, midfielder Alfred N’Diaye has revealed that the reason why he left the Stadium of Light in the fashion that he did was due to a clash in character with former manager Paolo Di Canio, the Chronicle Live have reported.
N’Diaye joined Sunderland in a £4 million deal in the January transfer window of 2013 from Turkish side Bursaspor under Martin O’Neill but, as soon as Di Canio took the reins at the club, his tenure was cut short.
The Senegal international was a key figure under O’Neill but his relationship with Sunderland’s new, Italian manager was not the same and it eventually drove him out of the club.
It went very well until the arrival of a new coach, Paolo Di Canio. We did not argue, but it was not right. Knowing me and seeing his character, it was better that I leave. Yet, I have played all the matches.
In the following summer, N’Diaye was sent out on loan back to Turkey to play for Eskisehirspor for the first half of the season. He then returned from his loan and still had no place at Sunderland, so was loaned out to Real Betis for the remainder of the season.
The powerful 26-year-old is now plying his trade with Villarreal in La Liga and is finally fulfilling the potential all Sunderland fans saw during his short spell on Wearside.
