Rarely used at Aston Villa, the teenager could go down a storm at Sunderland
With Billy Jones not getting any younger, Sunderland would be wise to consider a long-term replacement for the right-back and the ideal candidate could be hiding in the shadows at Aston Villa.
James Bree made sizable waves at former club Barnsley, racking up 61 appearances as a teenager and earning a move to Villa Park as a result.
But despite his obvious talent the 20-year-old has fallen out of favour at Villa, not included in the squad for any of their last 10 Championship matches, with Ahmed Elmohamady making the right-back spot his own and Ritchie De Laet and Alan Hutton waiting in the wings if necessary.
The latter has recently impressed on the opposite flank, yet the competition for places on the right side of Villa’s defence has clearly impacted Bree’s admittedly fledgling career.
He could ultimately turn things round, but Villa boss Steve Bruce appears to have his favourites, trusting Elmohamady at Hull City and now at Villa, and Sunderland would be wise to chance their hand with a January bid.
After all, it is not as if Sunderland would be trying to prise away one of Villa’s regular starters, and yet on his day Bree is one of the best full-backs in the second tier.
He is also years away from his peak and he could fulfil his potential with the Black Cats in a way he is currently struggling to do in the Midlands.
Sunderland will have their own ideas in terms of targets, however they would be wise to bring in a player that would significantly strengthen them not just now but potentially for the next decade.
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