No newspaper or television channel had mentioned the possibility of Darren Bent leaving Sunderland during the January transfer window, with the forward reportedly happy at the Stadium of Light and likely to spend the rest of his career on Wearside.

However, in the space of 48 hours, the striker has played in the Tyne-Wear derby and then made the switch to Aston Villa for a transfer fee which could end up being as high as £24 million.

Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has admitted that the club were powerless to prevent Bent leaving and has claimed he’s not too surprised by the move.

“[Aston Villa] tempted him and he took the bait and the only thing we could do was fight to keep him. When the transfer request came in that was the final nail,” Quinn told Kildare TV.

“We could have tried to stop it but then we heard that he was already down there [in negotiation with Villa] and all we could do was fight to get as good as deal as possible. It was really difficult.

“I wasn’t surprised when he put in the transfer request. I had an inkling. Darren is a terrific guy and he’s been great for us over and beyond playing football but about two or three weeks ago I knew there was something up with him.”