‘I can’t lie’: Jay Stansfield talks out about unstable loan and why he did not quit Birmingham City

Jay Stansfield maintains he never considered leaving Birmingham City during the January transfer window.

Fulham had the option of recalling Stansfield and loaning him out at the start of January, and Premier League hopefuls Ipswich Town indicated an interest in the 21-year-old attacker. But Stansfield, who scored the 11th goal of his excellent loan term against Preston North End on Monday, had no intention of leaving St Andrew’s.

“At the start of the season I signed for a season on loan and that was my only aim,” Stansfield told the club’s website.

Stansfield’s choice was undoubtedly made easier by the appointment of Tony Mowbray in place of Wayne Rooney at the start of January. Mowbray was already a fan of Stansfield, having attempted to recruit him to former club Sunderland in the summer.

“Tony is an excellent manager, and we have greatly missed him,” remarked Stansfield. “Birmingham is such a big club and you can see all the players that have come through Birmingham in the past, the players that were in Birmingham last season that are playing in the Premier League now.”

Stansfield’s season hasn’t gone as smoothly as he expected after scoring a thrilling 95th-minute winner on his debut against Plymouth Argyle in August. There have been setbacks, including three permanent managers and three interims, in what will be a one-of-a-kind learning experience for the England under-21 starlet.

He admitted: “It’s been a bit of a challenge, I can’t lie, but you learn so much from all the different managers. I have taken a lot from every manager that has been here and I think it’s turned me into a better player than I was when I joined.”