Sunderland boss Alex Neil has admitted that Jermain Defoe's decision to retire from football came as a 'surprise' to him.

The 39-year-old returned to the Stadium of Light in the transfer window earlier this year and it was hoped that he could play a key role as the Black Cats chase promotion.

However, Defoe failed to score in seven games and decided to retire from the game this month.

And, speaking to Chronicle Live, Neil confirmed that he had no idea that the player was going to make such a big decision.

"I think it's difficult with somebody like Jermain, with the creer he has had and what he has done, you know as a player when you feel that it is time. And unfortunately for Jermain, he got to that point.

"I'll be honest. It was a bit of a surprise, it was a shock. There weren't a lot of conversations prior to it, he trained that day, he trained well, he was fine, and the next minute we got word that he wanted to call it a day."

The verdict

This was an announcement that few saw coming, particularly as Defoe had featured in Sunderland's past few games.

Admittedly, he wasn't at his best, but he still played and you would've expected him to get a lot more minutes during the run-in considering Neil isn't exactly blessed with plenty of options up top.

These comments suggest there wasn't a fall-out and it was simply down to Defoe who obviously doesn't feel he will be able to contribute as he wanted, so his decision has to be respected.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.