Man City youngster Callum Doyle tipped for England call after winning promotion with Sunderland

Eyebrows may have been raised when Manchester City's 17-year-old centre-back Callum Doyle was snapped up by League One promotion-chasers Sunderland on loan last summer.

Doyle had impressed for the Under-23s for City, but wasn't pushing the first team and there was plenty of pressure attached to a Sunderland side who just couldn't get out of the third tier. But Doyle quickly settled in at the Stadium of Light and was a regular at centre-back under Lee Johnson.

However, when Johnson was sacked and replaced by Alex Neil, Doyle found himself out of the side as Sunderland pressed on towards promotion. He played a supporting role in their eventual play-off win, coming off the bench in the final, but was a central figure in their on-pitch celebrations at Wembley, sporting a huge smile as he celebrated promotion in his first year as a senior player. In total, he made 44 appearances, starting 34 times.

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Now, Doyle will look to build on his year at Sunderland, but given Neil's preferences, he may have to look elsewhere for his next loan. We spoke to Matty Hewitt from Chronicle Live, who gave the lowdown of Doyle's season and even backed him to represent England in future if his development continues.

"I think it's fair to say Doyle was one of the surprise performers earlier in the season," Matty says.

"The signing of a 17-year-old rose some eyebrows, but it was clear from the very off the quality he possesses. I remember a pre-season friendly against Hearts, he played alongside Tom Flanagan, an experienced professional at League One level, and Doyle completely outshone him. You can tell he's still pretty raw and has plenty of time to