‘Callum's a fantastic footballer – but we wanted a different type’
Alex Neil has praised 'supremely talented' Callum Doyle, but says he felt Sunderland needed a different type of defender to supplement his squad this season.
Manchester City starlet Doyle took his first steps in senior football on loan at the Stadium of Light last season, and made a swift return with Coventry City for the Championship opener on Sunday.
He did not make Mark Robins' starting XI, with the 18-year-old competing with Nottingham Forest loanee Jonathan Panzo for the role on the left of the back three.
After an impressive first half of the last campaign, Doyle's playing time under Neil diminished, primarily because the Sunderland head coach felt he was at risk of burnout amid the punishing League One schedule.
He did, however, feature as a substitute in all three of Sunderland's play-off fixtures to bring his campaign to a very successful conclusion.
Shortly after, he played a key part in England U19s run to European Championship success, even scoring in the final.
Neil was asked by a supporter during his appearance on BBC Radio
Newcastle's Total Sport last week whether he had been interested in bringing Doyle back, and why a move had not materialised.
"Callum was similar to Dan Neil last season in that they're two supremely talented lads who I thought looked burnt out by the time I arrived at the club," Neil said.
"I thought they'd been overworked. I actually gave Callum a week's holiday at one point, literally just to let him go rest and recover physically and mentally.
"The fact is, we've obviously stepped up a level and I think with the players we've currently got, we looked at potentially a different type [of defender].
"If you look at Aji Alese's qualities and what he brings, he's a different type of player to Callum and I felt we needed to add that to the squad.
"Equally, Callum is a fantastic footballer, technically very, very good."
After signing for Coventry, Doyle cited the team's possession-based style of play as a key reason why he felt it was the right destination for the next stage of his career.