Scoring a goal against Tony Pulis’ Boro still does little to prove that the winger deserved more of a chance at West Brom.
Callum McManaman’s career has been on a downward spiral for some time and on Saturday he took the opportunity to direct his anger at one man he feels is partially responsible.
Tony Pulis scarcely picked McManaman at West Bromwich Albion, but the Sunderland man responded by scoring a stoppage-time equaliser in the Wear-Tees derby and celebrating in front of the Middlesbrough manager.
The problem is that McManaman is still not justifying his selection, even at the bottom of the Championship, and Pulis picked up on it.
“He was disappointed when he was at West Brom [because] I never picked him,” Pulis said, as reported by the Birmingham Mail.
“He went to Sheffield Wednesday and they didn’t pick him, and he is here and they don’t pick him.”
McManaman may have impressed on Saturday, maybe inspired by Pulis’ presence on the sidelines, and had the last laugh with his goal, but that is simply not enough.
If the winger is to really get one over on his former manager, he must inspire Sunderland to Championship survival and then look at kicking on and carrying his side beyond Pulis and Boro.
That has never looked likely in his time at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland need McManaman to be at his best in the coming weeks and he needs that too. Time is running out for both.
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