Midfielder left out of national team as Sunderland weigh up transfer decision

Callum Styles was an unused substitute as Hungary were beaten 3-1 by Switzerland in their opening game of Euro 2024.

Sunderland have an option to sign the 24-year-old permanently this summer from Barnsley, after he made 12 Championship appearances for the Black Cats on loan during the 2023/24 season.

Styles has played 22 times for Hungary, qualifying to play for the country where his mum was born, yet didn’t feature against the Swiss. It comes after the versatile midfielder then picked up an injury and was substituted during a friendly win over Israel last week, yet he eased concerns ahead of the tournament, posting on Instagram: “Good preparation. Thankfully the injury is not serious. See you in Germany. Go Hungary.”

Hungary will now prepare for Wednesday’s match against hosts Germany, before their final Group A match against Scotland on Sunday, June 23.

In the meantime, Sunderland will still be weighing up whether to take up their option to sign Styles, who has predominantly played as a central midfielder for both Barnsley and Hungary. At Sunderland, though, the player was often deployed at left-back or as a wing-back.

The 24-year-old was asked about his club and international aspirations during May’s issue of FourFourTwo, including his spell on Wearside. “We’ve gone through two managers this season so it’s been a rocky road,” he replied. “But after nine or 10 matches I started to enjoy my time and the supporters are so passionate. It’s a top club.”

Asked about his future and what’s next, he added: “I haven’t really thought about it, as I’ve been focusing on playing. Sunderland have Premier League ambitions so I’d love to stay longer, but there are lots of factors that could result in different scenarios. We’ll see.

“I just want to play some minutes at the Euros. The main aim is to get out of the group, as that’s when the real games start to happen.”