Sunderland owner Stuart Donald has lashed out at Paddy McNair's agent after his switch to Championship side Middlesbrough fell through.

Boro last night pulled the plug on their £5m swoop for McNair, leaving the Black Cats without a buyer. They were apparently frustrated that Sunderland were still inviting bids, despite agreeing a fee for the former Manchester United man.

Speaking to the Roker Report, via Gazette Live, new owner Stuart Donald made it very clear the club were certainly not offering the player elsewhere, blaming his agent for the breakdown.

“To be fair, the club haven’t offered Paddy McNair around at all - we want to keep him,” he said. “But we set a price when his agent advised he wanted to leave. Boro met it and only them so we have left them to it. I said the agent I believe is still offering the player around! Not us.”

The report suggests Stoke City are now at the head of the queue for the defender, with Donald stating they were the only other club to match the valuation, 'so far'.

The 23-year old has been at the Stadium of Light for two years after joining in a £5.5m move that also included Donald Love. He made 16 league appearances last season, scoring five times.

The Verdict

Even if Sunderland are not still offering the player around, it would seem his agent is keen to get a good deal, for himself and the player.

It's odd that he should be tempting Stoke when a move to Boro would surely mean minimum upheaval for McNair, but that's football for you.

Whoever does win the race is going to get a quality defender, but hopefully his agent won't lumber him with a reputation as a money-grabber.