Former Ghana captain and World Cup hero Asamoah Gyan has opened up about his brief but memorable spell at English Premier League side Sunderland, shedding light on the circumstances that led to his surprise move away from England.

Gyan became a cult figure at the Stadium of Light during the 2010/11 season, scoring 10 goals in 34 league appearances for the Black Cats and winning the admiration of fans despite spending just one season in the Premier League.

At the peak of his career, the striker stunned many by leaving England for the United Arab Emirates, a decision that sparked widespread debate at the time.

However, speaking in an interview with Rio Ferdinand, Gyan revealed that the move was initiated by Sunderland themselves.

“Surprisingly, my best time was in the UAE,” Gyan told the former Manchester United defender.

Explaining the circumstances surrounding his exit, Gyan said:

“There were a lot of stories coming out around that time, but it was Sunderland that asked me to leave.

“Because of the deal that came. It was a loan deal and they felt they could capitalise on that deal, thinking that I would go and come back.”

The former Black Stars skipper admitted that he initially planned to return to Sunderland after the loan spell.

“Initially that was my mind — go for the deal and come back. I went there, fell in love with the place. So I had to focus on the option to buy and I had to go with that,” he explained.

Gyan went on to enjoy the most prolific spell of his career at Al Ain, scoring an astonishing 95 goals in 83 appearances and establishing himself as one of the club’s greatest-ever foreign players.

During the same period, he continued to deliver for the Ghana Black Stars, cementing his status as the nation’s all-time leading goal scorer.