This isnt really a story of the one that got away. Sunderland knew very much from the off for a side residing in the Championship the prospect of signing the highly regarded Downing from Premiership Middleborough was never going to happen. It was good while it lasted for around a dozen games with Downing managing to wade in with a few goals in the process. On the face of it, with Julio Arca tucked in behind him, Sunderland were fielding the finest and most exciting left-wing combination in years. With those two combining at their best, they would have troubled any Premier League defence, let alone Championship. In those early days, Downing was simply an out-and-out old fashioned English left winger, nothing more. He has since changed his game, but for a winger who had the ability to beat his man Downing also had a pretty exquisite cross on him too. Not quite as accurate as Golden Balls, but certainly Downing had the nearest thing in terms of a cross from the left wing. Though to some, what made the young man unique as a player also counted against him somewhat, which was just as present in his performances for Sunderland as later in his career. That tag old style left winger, made pundits think that England had finally found the answer to the national sides problems. But with Downing glued to the flank, hed isolate himself and really the modern game had moved on from that. Although, Sunderland would have snapped him up had a deal ever been possible or feasible. Which other great loans did Sunderland pull off? Share your picks below in the comments thread.
