Andras Nemeth admits that interest from Championship outfit Sunderland was ‘very concrete’ but felt his development would have been better served in the German second tier with Hamburg, speaking to HSV24.
Sunderland fans will, of course, point to Tony Mowbray’s track record in an attempt to disprove Nemeth’s view that Hamburg are a better fit for an up-and-coming 20-year-old.
Harvey Elliott, Amad Diallo, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Reda Khadra, Jean Paul van Hecke, Ellils Simms. This is just a handful of players who, under Mowbray, made giant strides forward in their careers. Elliott became a first-team regular at Liverpool shortly after a superb loan spell at Blackburn Rovers, and the chances are that the exhilarating Amad could make a similar impact at Manchester United.
There is a reason why Leeds chose to send one of England’s most promising attackers – Joe Gelhardt – to the Stadium of Light despite interest from a number of rival Championship clubs.
Sunderland held talks to sign Hamburg striker Andras Nemeth
According to the Sunderland Echo, the Black Cats went all in on Gelhardt after hitting a brick wall in their pursuit of Nemeth; a South African-born Hungary international who had burst onto the scene with KRC Genk in Belgium.
“It was very concrete with Sunderland,” Nemeth admits. “But I made the decision to come to Hamburg, because I think the project here is better for me and my development.”
Sunderland, the Echo add, held talks with Nemeth in January. The Black Cats see the 6ft 2ins centre-forward as something of a ‘future star’, and he is certainly living up to that potential in his new home. Nemeth scored in just his second Hamburg appearance during Sunday’s 2-0 win at Hansa Rostock.
Ross Stewart out for the reason
Sunderland, meanwhile, will have to make do without top scorer Ross Stewart until the end of the season; the Scotland international out until the summer with an Achilles injury.
“As the days roll on, he becomes more and more positive,” Mowbray says of Stewart. “He is bright and positive. Footballers come to terms with these things.
“Once they get through the initial disappointment and frustration, upset, anger, whatever the emotion, then they have to prepare themselves for the work ahead. And that’s what Ross is doing.
“He wants his operation as quickly as he can have it, so he can start the process of getting back. We (are) here to support him as much as we can. Hopefully it will be a smooth transition back to playing, whenever that might be. Pre-season, hopefully. We’ll have to wait and see.
“It’s not a brand-new injury that no-one has ever had. The people in the medical department will have a clear plan for him.”
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