Sebastian Coates: Dick Advocaat was the key in move from Liverpool to Sunderland

Sebastian Coates has claimed the confidence showed by Sunderland boss Dick Advocaat in him during his season on loan at the Black Cats was "key" in his decision to leave Liverpool for a permanent move to the Stadium of Light.

The Reds confirmed the departure of the Uruguay international on 1 July after, according to The Guardian, Sunderland agreed to pay around £2m to Brendan Rodgers's side to secure his services.

Liverpool signed the 24-year-old defender from Nacional in the summer of 2011 as a prospect for the future after being named the best young player at that year's Copa America.

However, Coates only managed to make a total of 24 appearances during his time at Anfield and in summer 2014, after missing much of the previous campaign due to a serious knee injury, he was loaned to Sunderland.

The Uruguay international was expected to have the chance to prove his worth under Gus Poyet but struggled to secure regular time under his compatriot, like he previously did at Liverpool.

But the arrival of Advocaat to replace Poyet in March was a decisive turning point in his career at the Black Cats.

Coates became a key figure for the Dutch boss, playing a crucial part in Sunderland's impressive last part of the campaign to avoid relegation.

The Uruguay international told IBTimes UK late last season that he had dreams of success at Liverpool but now claim Advocaat's trust has convince him to join Sunderland.

"Dick knows me and has confidence in me so for me it was a really important factor," he said to Sunderland's official website.

"When he came, the team was in a difficult position but he gave confidence to everyone so for the players, he was really important and for me he was the key because he really helped me."