Could Kazenga Lua Lua leave Sunderland without starting a game?

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Kazenga Lua Lua left Premier League Brighton in January to return to the Championship with Chris Coleman’s struggling Sunderland.

Sunderland held high hopes for Kazenga Lua Lua when the maverick winger arrived at the Stadium of Light in January on a short-term deal following his release by Brighton and Hove Albion.

Black Cats manager Chris Coleman even told The Chronicle that he planned to use Lua Lua in a central striking position and make full use of that blistering pace that once made him one of the most exciting and unpredictable attackers outside of the Premier League.

But there now appears to be a very real chance that the 27-year-old could leave Sunderland at the end of the season having never started a league game for the Wearsiders.

Thanks in part to injury, Lua Lua has been restricted to just 116 minutes of Championship football for Sunderland in the last three months, coming off the bench for the fifth time in the 1-1 draw with Leeds United on Saturday afternoon with just seconds remaining.

And the skilful attacker, who started his career at Sunderland’s North East neighbours Newcastle United, is set to become a free agent at the end of a season which has never really got going at either Brighton or the Stadium of Light.

With Sunderland needing to get a number of players off the wage bill to fund new additions, Coleman and co could face a difficult decision about Lua Lua if he fails to prove his fitness between now and the end of the season.