Sunderland boss, Roy Keane said: "I spoke to Toby just before Christmas because a club made an offer for him," said Keane.
"We had a chat. I told him I wanted him to stay and he said he didn't want to leave. It was straight-forward.
"When I first came here, I left him out for the first few games but he just kept his head down and worked really hard.
"You have to remember he had a busy time. He had a full season before he came here and he had had no rest.
"When a player comes to England, you always have to give him a few months to get into the swing of things."