Martin O’Neill: “Last season, he had a terrific year and scored a lot of goals.
“There was a change of management and Michu has come to great prominence and Danny had to take a back seat.
“He never really regained his place over the last few months.
“I always feel about Danny that there’s a hurdle in front of him that he wants to overcome.
“If he doesn’t do that, then he feels that he’s not been successful. In that sense, it’s pretty good for us.
“I think there might have been a bout of home sickness as well, getting back to the North East where he’s got a lot of family and friends.
“But that’s never always the best reason to be coming back, let me tell you.”