WEST HAM have rubbished suggestions from George McCartney after the defender claimed he had not handed in a transfer request before completing his move back to Sunderland.

The Northern Ireland, who even told the club's official website he needed to move back north as his wife, Elaine, had not settled in London, claimed yesterday he wasn't responsible for the move.

But the Hammers issued a statement on their website, reading “Following the offer from Sunderland, McCartney handed in a signed written transfer request on Monday September 1 which stated ‘due to private family reason I wish to accept the offer to move back to Sunderland’.”