Middlesbrough action saved Sunderland AFC from big Man United embarrassment | OneFootball

FLW takes a look back at Sunderland's double deal for Paddy McNair and Donald Love in 2016, and why Boro saved the Black Cats' blushes...

Sunderland completed the double signing of highly-rated Manchester United pair Donald Love and Paddy McNair in the summer of 2016, as the Black Cats looked to add some quality young talent to their Premier League squad under David Moyes.

The Wearsiders paid a reported fee of £5.5m to capture the signings of Love and McNair, both of whom were familiar faces to Moyes from his time at Old Trafford.

McNair had already broken into the first-team picture with the Red Devils come 2016, whilst Love had found his progression into the senior set up more of a challenge, and had made just two first-team appearances by the time Sunderland came calling.

It was a double deal that presented as being a really shrewd and exciting piece of business by the Black Cats, and one that could see them land two future stars for a cut-price fee.

However, come 2018, it would be their local rivals Middlesbrough who would ensure that Sunderland weren't completely left with egg on their face...

McNair suffered a serious injury that derailed his Sunderland career

Injuries; so often the thief of many a promising career and the unfortunate stamp on a certain spell with a football club.

For McNair's time with Sunderland, that was certainly the case. The Northern Ireland international suffered a cruciate ligament injury in November 2016, which would sideline him until the following November.

That meant the versatile defender would miss 65 games during his period of absence, more than enough time to write himself a different Stadium of Light story had that injury never happened.

Black Cats fans were only able to see him make 12 total appearances during his first season with the club, before making just 16 total appearances in the 2017/18 season.

He did make enough of an impact during that season to put his name back in the minds of supporters and football chiefs alike, as he scored five times in those 16 Championship appearances.

Love fails to make an impression during three underwhelming years on Wearside

As for Love, he too suffered a particularly frustrating injury blow in the 2018/19 season that sidelined him for most of the season, but in truth, he simply didn't live up to expectations in a red and white shirt when given the opportunity.

The full-back injured his ankle ligament on the opening day of the 18/19 campaign at home to Charlton, and was forced off before the half hour mark. From there, he bravely tried to play through his injury for a couple more games, before admitting that he needed ligament reconstruction surgery.

In the two seasons prior to then, Love had actually made the most individual appearances in any of his three years in the North East during his debut 2016/17 campaign in the Premier League, in which he made 12 appearances for the club.

After suffering relegation to the Championship for 2017/18, the former Scotland youth international made just 11 appearances in the second tier, before he and the club suffered their second straight relegation to League One for the 18/19 season.

Come the summer of 2019, and despite still having a year remaining on his deal worth around £450,000, both parties came to a mutual agreement to cut his contract short, and he departed on a free transfer in July.

Middlesbrough spare Sunderland's blushes with McNair deal

With the 2016 deal for McNair and Love now looking like one that Sunderland were going to have to take a significant loss on, their North East rivals Middlesbrough were preparing to an offer that the Black Cats couldn't refuse.

Boro and Sunderland agreed a £5m deal to send McNair on the short trip to Teesside in August 2018, bringing to an end his frustrating spell on Wearside.

That meant that despite the Black Cats failing to get their money's worth out of the pair, they would at least recapture the vast majority of the transfer fee they spent on prizing them away from Old Trafford previously.

McNair became one of the highest earners on Middlesbrough's books, and enjoyed a six-year career at the Riverside Stadium which saw him make over 200 appearances for the Teessiders, before being released in June 2024.