Edouard Michut insists it was his decision not to stay at Sunderland – and explains why

Edouard Michut says it was his decision not to make permanent his move to Sunderland – with the Black Cats offering him the chance to stay on. Paris St-Germain midfielder Michut spent last season on loan with the Wearsiders, and the deal included an option to convert the switch into a full-time transfer this summer.

Sunderland confirmed last month that Michut would return to France, with sporting director Kristjaan Speakman describing it as a ‘mutual’ decision taken between club and player. However, Michut has given an interview in his homeland where he revealed that Sunderland were keen for him to stay but they could not agree on ‘certain contractual points’ and also said that some aspects of the team’s style of play did not suit him.

Despite that, the 20-year-old says he does not regret his year with the Black Cats and previously took to social media to thank the fans for their support during the campaign. “[It was] a very positive outcome,” Michut said of his time at Sunderland, in an interview with French outlet L’Equipe.

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“It’s been a very good season to develop, to be ready for future years since it’s a Championship that is still incredibly intense and technically complicated. It took a bit of time to start for me to play games, especially because of some physical glitches as well as the adaptation to a new football, but I think I made the right choice by going to play for Sunderland.

“The club offered me the opportunity to stay. It was my decision to leave Sunderland. We didn’t agree on certain contractual points. There were also a few things in the style of play that didn’t suit me.

“I’m more of a player who touches between 80 and 100 balls per game and, in this pattern, I’m at 50-60 maximum. I thank the president for understanding my choice not to stay.”

In an interview with club media last week, Speakman had said of Michut’s departure: “It was a loan with an option for us [to buy] and the natural thing that everybody expects is that the boy has done really, really well, we trigger the option, but for us it had to be the right conditions both from a contractual perspective and also from his perspective.

“We had lots of conversations and Edou is a top young man and I think he will have a really successful career, but when we got down into the detail we weren’t as much in alignment as we felt comfortable with and that’s why we decided not to proceed with it.”

Michut leaves Sunderland having made 28 appearances in all competitions – 15 of them starts – and having scored one goal.