Former Sunderland winger James McClean has stated that Paolo Di Canio led the Black Cats like an evil dictator.
Di Canio spent a brief ill-fated reign as manager of Sunderland and was sacked only five games into the season last year after the players had revolted against the Italian for his overly strict style of management.
Now Wigan Athletic's McClean, one of the players who played under Di Canio last year, has lifted the lid regarding the Italian manager's time at the club and has stated that he led like a dictator.
McClean said: "It was like a dictatorship, just all bow down.
"I think there's a thin line between discipline and going overboard and he well and truly went over that line. In this day and age, rightly or wrongly, players who play at the top level have egos. They're not going to tolerate being spoken to like that.
"The story went afterwards that Sunderland got rid of me, sold me off. That wasn't the case. I still had two years left after that season. It was my decision. I wanted to leave."
