Callum Styles has made an interesting claim about Tony Mowbray following his arrival at Sunderland.
Sunderland had been on the lookout for a new midfielder during the January transfer window and it wasn’t until the latter stages that they began to make their interest in Callum Styles known.
The Black Cats had initially looked set to snap the midfielder up from Barnsley after entering talks, however rumours of a move quickly quietened down and the club looked as if they were back to square one.
However, it wasn’t until deadline day that the deal was back on, and the 23-year-old eventually secured a loan switch with a view to make it permanent in the summer.
Styles’ time on Wearside got off to a slow start though after he underwent surgery to remove his appendix last month, which kept him out of action until the weekend’s defeat to Swansea City.
While probably a debut the Hungarian will want to forget, Styles will be delighted to finally get back on the pitch for his new club. He could well have made his debut for Sunderland last year though, with the former Barnsley man revealing he had the chance to join the Black Cats before.
Speaking to Sunderland Echo, Styles said: “”It’s been around for a few windows and the old manager (Tony) Mowbray wanted me in, then Michael Beale wanted me in.
“It just came around in January and I thought to play at the highest level I can, and for a big team like this, I’d love to do it. Obviously I didn’t expect to have the operation, that came out of nowhere, but we got it over the line which is the main thing.”
Asked if he feared the move wouldn’t happen, the midfielder replied: “As soon as I found out I had to have an operation I just thought that’s me done for kind of the season. I didn’t know much about it. The surgeon said six to eight weeks I’d be back and I’m back in four weeks.”
Callum Styles or Chris Rigg?
Callum Styles is certainly highly rated given that he had attracted interest from Sheffield United and Burnley this season, though I would hope he can do a lot better than he did at the weekend.
The 23-year-old started the game as a left-wing back in what proved to be a disastrous first half for the entire backline, though it is rather hard to judge him on that.
He was fairly quiet when he was moved back to midfield, but he may not be back to full fitness after spending the last five or six weeks on the sidelines.
Styles definitely deserves another chance to make up a disappointing performance, though it still begs the question as to why Chris Rigg isn’t already ahead of him in the pecking order.
The teenager has made a positive impact every time he has been brought on recently and he deserves to be given a run in the team – especially given that the current midfield has been struggling for some time now.
Mike Dodds has a very good relationship with our young players though and if anyone is going to get the best out of Rigg it is him.