League One trio Sunderland, Oxford United and MK Dons all reportedly want to rescue Feyenoord’s Liam Kelly from his Eredivisie nightmare.
Liam Kelly has been left out of Feyenoord’s winter training camp in Spain, with the Eredivisie giants confirming on their website that the Sunderland target is set to leave De Kuip before the month is out.
A player who was once labelled as Berkshire’s answer to Andres Iniesta by former Reading manager Jaap Stam, it’s fair to say Kelly’s career hasn’t quite panned out like the Barcelona legends.
The technically gifted midfielder reunited with Stam at Feyenoord over the summer but, after the Manchester United legend walked away from Rotterdam in the Autumn, Kelly was left in a rather awkward position.
The 24-year-old hasn’t played a single minute of Eredivisie football since August, failing to win over new coach Dick Advocaat, and a return to England looks imminent with Sunderland, Oxford and MK Dons all interested, as reported by the Irish Independent.
A skilful schemer with an eye for a pass, Kelly would be an inspired addition for a Sunderland side whose workmanlike midfield has struggled to break down opposition defences all season long. Phil Parkinson is crying out for a player like the former Ireland U21 ace, who could finally provide the ammunition required to get the Black Cats’ misfiring strikers up and running.
And Feyenoord have now confirmed that Kelly has been omitted from the 26-strong squad which travelled to Marbella for a warm weather training camp on Monday, having given the forgotten man permission to seek a move away from Holland.
Sunderland fans shouldn’t expect the new Iniesta, but they might discover a player capable of transforming Parkinson’s side for the better.
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