JERMAIN Defoe has endured a frustrating time in Canada playing Major League Soccer. Ahead of the former England striker's move to Sunderland, The Northern Echo has been given an insight in to what went wrong on the other side of the Atlantic.

Kurtis Larson, who reports on Toronto FC for the Toronto Sun, explains how Defoe was perceived over there and the reasons why he is on the verge of a Sunderland switch after just 11 months.

How did he settle in Toronto, playing in the MLS?

Jermain seemed to genuinely enjoy being here for the first few months. He was treated like royalty, with limo service to and from games and training to go along with all sorts of luxurious perks. Toronto FC purchased a home for him north of the city. The club also purchased a home for his mother.

In other words, the team did everything it could to settle the player. But, after Jermain missed out on the World Cup, things began to change. We reported earlier this year that he became disillusioned with MLS and that, at one point, his mother was even pushing him to head back to England.

From there, things got a little worse. Defoe hardly featured during the second half of the season and was determined to seek medical advice back in the UK rather than undergo surgery here - which the team had advised him to do. He hasn't even been in Toronto for close to four months.

By the end of it, he'd become a distraction to some of his teammates. He was well-liked in the locker room, but I'm sure some of his teammates were puzzled when Defoe simply disappeared. He also didn't seem keen to meet the media demands of a North American market. We've been expecting this outcome since September.

Where did it go wrong for Jermain?

It was a myriad of things that shifted Defoe's priorities. Like I said, Jermain's intentions were genuine at the start. I think missing out on the World Cup played a big role in his change of heart. Before and after being snubbed last summer, reoccurring injuries also frustrated Jermain.

There were also lingering rumours that Jermain didn't get on with the team's former coaching staff - which was inexperienced, to say the least. Jermain's tight relationship with his mother is also well-documented. When she wasn't interested in being in Toronto any longer, Jermain was no longer interested in being a Toronto player. You could say it went wrong from the start, seeing as multiple people familiar with Defoe warned Toronto FC this was a possible outcome.

Was he well liked at Toronto FC?

Publicly, yes. But I know a few of his teammates were close to fed up with Jermain's absence. Many of his teammates praised him endlessly as a quality teammate and person. But when a player is making that much money, he's expected to come to work every day and lead.

There were individuals in Toronto's dressing room that weren't convinced Jermain was 100 per cent committed. When you're accused of lacking ambition to succeed at TFC, you're going to lose allies in the dressing room.

What are the financial implications for Defoe staying just a short time at Toronto FC?

Toronto FC claims to have recouped a substantial portion of the original transfer fee it paid Tottenham last year. It's possible, though, that they've taken a bit of a hit when you consider the massive salary they paid Jermain for a season.

For those who don't know Toronto FC, it's a club owned by Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, a massive sports conglomerate in North America. In other words, losing $5-10m is peanuts. The financial implications of Jermain leaving won't impact the bottom line.