The Sunderland Under-23 inspired the club to their first ever European final – even Jordan Pickford didn’t manage that.
The 2016/17 season has been something of a double edged sword for young Sunderland shot-stopper Jordan Pickford. On one hand, relegation beckons in his first full season in the Black Cats first-team with David Moyes doomed side bottom of the table with the fourth worst defensive record in the division.
On the upside, however, Pickford has been so frequently exposed by his ‘defenders’ that he has had no choice but to shine between the sticks in the face of a weekly bombardment.
As such, when the cold bite of relegation finally takes hold of Sunderland, their home-grown ‘keeper will surely be offered a Premier League lifeline. The Daily Mirror report that Everton have made him a top summer target.
However, while The Black Cats will no doubt bring in reinforcements when Pickford does inevitably earn a move away, they can at least take solace in knowing that they have another promising young shot-stopper rising through the ranks.
While the England Under-21 international (below) joined the club’s academy at the age of nine, Max Stryjek took a rather different route into Sunderland’s youth system.
Capped by Poland at Under-19 level, Stryjek arrived on Wearside during the 2012/13 season from MKS Polonia in his homeland. And while appearing on the bench in an FA Cup clash with Leeds United in 2015 is the closest he has come to first-team action, his progression in the club’s development squad suggests he will get his chance sooner rather than later.
He’s already made history after all.
Sunderland have not appeared in continental competition since the 1973 European Cup Winners Cup. Yet, thanks to Stryjek’s heroic performance in a 1-0 win at Norwich City, capped by an inspired penalty save, Elliot Dickman’s Under-23s became the first side in Sunderland’s history to reach a European Cup final.
They will face Porto in the Premier League International Cup decider. Stryjek, then, will have another chance to demonstrate his potential.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
