Ex-Sunderland loanee tipped to be England international after Leicester City transfer deal

Former Sunderland boss Lee Johnson has tipped Callum Doyle to become a senior England international - after working with the defender on Wearside.

Doyle joined Sunderland on loan from Manchester City as a 17-year-old in 2021, before making 39 League One appearances (including play-off matches) as the Black Cats won promotion from the third tier.

The centre-back then helped Coventry reach the Championship play-off final last season, while he signed a season-long loan deal at Leicester this summer.

“He took a massive chance coming to Sunderland but he believed in his ability,” Johnson told The Athletic when discussing Doyle’s spell at Sunderland.

“I remember his first training session, the lads were all saying, ‘I don’t know. A 17-year-old centre half coming through the door here at Sunderland. He won’t cope with the pressure’.

“He then went past four players and scored a goal. Everyone turned their heads straight away and a couple of them were chuckling and laughing to themselves, saying, ‘Yeah, that’s a real player’.”

The piece also said Johnson believes Leicester have a future England senior international on their hands.

“He is very good in terms of his ability,” the former Sunderland boss added. “He can cut the ball through lines with progressive passing. I am delighted to have played a part in his journey.”

Doyle, now 19, has three years left on his contract at Manchester City, with a club option of a further year.

New Leicester boss Enzo Maresca also knows Doyle well after managing City’s under-23s side, before becoming first-team assistant at the Etihad Stadium last season.

When discussing Maresca’s influence, Doyle told Leicester’s website: "It’s great to come to work in a place like this. I’ve worked with Enzo before and won the Under-23s Premier League title with him. He improved me a lot so it’s good to work with him again.

"What’s on everyone’s mind right now is obviously to get the club back where it belongs. This season, with the squad that we have, I think we’ll do really well."

Sunderland will face Leicester on Tuesday, October 24 at the King Power Stadium, while the reverse fixture at the Stadium of Light is scheduled to be played on Tuesday, March 5.