Callum McFadzean reveals how his move to Sunderland really happened and why he rejected other moves

The wing-back made his senior debut for the Black Cats in the FA Cup defeat to Mansfield Town after joining the club as a free agent shortly after the closure of the transfer window in October.

McFadzean had been offered a new contract at Plymouth Argyle but turned down that deal in search of a fresh challenge.

Sunderland’s interest came early in the summer, but the uncertainty caused by COVID-19 and the introduction of the salary cap put the move on hold.

During that period, the phone rang with offers from elsewhere – but having already received Phil Parkinson’s sales pitch, McFadzean had his heart set on the Stadium of Light.

That, he says, made it easy to turn down offers from elsewhere.

"I knew Sunderland were interested,” said the wing-back of his summer without a club.

"I'd already turned the contract down at Plymouth but I had other contracts on the table. As soon as I knew there was interest from Sunderland I knew that was the team I wanted to go to because of the team alone. But not only that, there was the squad and I knew if I came here it would benefit me and take my career to the next level.

"I'm absolutely buzzing to be here and delighted to have made my debut. I wish we could have won, but personally I'm delighted to have put the shirt on and go out there with the boys.

“I can't remember the actual month [he learned of interest], but it took a bit longer than I obviously expected it to,” he continued.

"But after speaking with the gaffer I was very keen to get it done and in terms of everything that was going off - that obviously played a big part in not getting it done as quickly as it did. But we got it done and I was absolutely buzzing to be driving up to get it over the line.”

And McFadzean says that he has found it easy to settle on Wearside thanks to a welcoming dressing room.

That too was also a key factor in the 26-year-old choosing Sunderland.

"We've got a great set of lads and that made it a lot easier than it did at some other clubs,” he admitted.

"That's another big reason for coming here. I knew when I was speaking to the gaffer that he wanted good people, a good dressing room and in terms of pushing for promotion that's a massive plus.”

Now settled at the Stadium of Light, McFadzean will battle it out with academy graduate Denver Hume for a spot on the left flank

And he believes competition can only bode well for both players – and the club – throughout the term.

“I'm a team player, and if it means sharing the minutes then I'm more than happy to do that.

"It's great to have competition and keeps us both on our toes.

"If Denver is in doing well that's the main thing. The team doing well is the priority and the main aim to go and achieve good things. It's good to have strong competition in that position.”

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