Sunderland will look to bump up some academy gems to the first team ranks soon.
Sunderland will hope next season in the Championship is a drastic improvement on the one that just slammed shut, finishing in a dire 16th spot in the final league standings after once being talked of as promotion hopefuls.
There have been no real concrete developments on who will be in the dug-out at the Stadium of Light next season, however, with a lack of activity on the transfer front only adding to the quiet nature of the Wearside outfit currently.
Mike Dodds certainly won’t be in charge after his time as interim boss came to a natural end after the final game, despite the 37-year-old coach’s insistence to play young gems at Sunderland paying off at points, with 16-year-old Chris Rigg netting another senior goal during his short-lived tenure.
Whoever is the next Black Cats boss could do far worse than attempting to bump up more academy prospects to the first-team ranks when given the reins, potentially ignoring the opportunity to splash the cash during transfer season, with one promising defender potentially ready for senior opportunities.
Academy gem ready to step up for Sunderland
Described as being a “strong” defender by Academy manager Robin Nicholls when putting pen to paper on a new Sunderland deal last year, Oliver Bainbridge could well now be viewed as mature enough to be given chances in the first-team picture.
The 18-year-old has been linked with a loan move away to Bradford City as of late, but with past rumours also linking him with a switch to the Premier League with Sean Dyche’s Everton, he might well be more suited to Championship action over the lower reaches of the EFL at the Bantams.
Starring in the U18 and U21 fold for some time now, with nine goals managed from down the left flank from 57 games for the U18s, Bainbridge has been largely everpresent in the Premier League 2 this season too by missing just four clashes.
The teenager could now feel he’s outgrown the youth set-ups at the Black Cats, therefore, and when viewing how well the likes of Rigg have taken to the leap of the men’s football, he could be chomping at the bit to be in the next manager’s plans.
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