Owning a Category One academy and living in League One, you would expect that Sunderland would be continually feeding a stream of youngsters into their first team but this has largely failed to happen with only Denver Hume and Jack Diamond from the U23 team playing over one thousand minutes at first team level (Dion Sanderson also did this as a loanee from Wolves).
Winger Diamond is probably a good example of this issue. For several years he has been the leading player for the Academy of Light and yet has been consistently overlooked for first team action until the 20/21 season aged twenty. There is seemingly a reticence within the Sunderland squad to rely on youthful players which is unfortunate at League One would seem to be a great breeding ground for those talented teenagers.
| U23 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Position | |
| GK | Anthony Patterson |
| CB | Patrick Almond |
| CB | Cameron Jessup |
| RB | Ethan Kachosa |
| LB | Tyrese Dyce |
| CM | Sam Wilding |
| CM | Josh Hawkes |
| CM | Daniel Neill |
| RW | Stephen Wearne |
| LW | Ellis Taylor |
| CF | Will Harris |
| U18 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Position | |
| GK | Adam Richardson |
| CB | Ben Williams |
| CB | Henry Fieldson |
| RB | Sam Irons |
| LB | Oliver Bainbridge |
| CM | Caden Kelly |
| CM | Lachriaj Singh |
| CM | Sonny Singh |
| RW | Ashley Akpan |
| LW | Francis Okoronkwo |
| CF | Harry Gardiner |
Players in Profile - Three to Watch in 2021/2022
Dennis Cirkin
- Position: LB
- Age: 19
- Nationality: English
Sunderland were screaming out for a full back this summer and they finally landed their man just two days before the season started. Dennis Cirkin is a converted winger and England U19 international who was very highly rated at Tottenham but has been allowed to move on due to the congestion at first team level above him; Reguilon, Davies and Sessegnon. The defender is coming off the back of a tough year in which injury and personal tragedy pretty much destroyed his season and he will be hopeful that a move to Sunderland will allow him a full reset. He joins the League One club with a clear run at the first team and feels like a safe bet to prove himself a useful player at this level.
Patrick Almond
- Position: CB
- Age: 18
- Nationality: Scottish
Having just signed a new one year contract this summer, Patrick Almond will look to build upon a strong U23 season and find his way into the first team. The Scottish defender was the youngest regular at U23 level for Sunderland last season and he has been impressive in the early pre-season outings this year. A dominant central defender with excellent quality in the air, Almond could handle League One football physically if picked to do so and his early outings during pre-season suggest he has the requisite quality to do it also. It will need a change of approach from Sunderland management but Almond deserves at least a chance to make an impression this season.
Josh Hawkes
- Position: AM
- Age: 22
- Nationality: England
It’s actually quite ridiculous that Hawkes didn’t get a real shot at the first team last season. The twenty-two-year-old midfielder was a one man wrecking ball in the U23 squad, scoring fourteen goals and grabbing seven assists in less than two thousand minutes. The former Hartlepool player had been a stand out in the National League but Sunderland manager Lee Johnson overlooked his contributions citing him as being physically underdeveloped. Now, with rumoured interest from Norwich City and West Ham United, the midfielder has a full pre-season to gain the muscle the manager desires and follow in the footsteps of Adam Lallana - another late developing attacking midfielder.