Benjamin Kimpioka was linked with Arsenal earlier in the year but his future lies with Sunderland.
With money tight at the Stadium of Light, manager Chris Coleman will have to make full use of whatever resources he has for the rest of the season.
And with marquee signings pretty much impossible unless Sunderland can find a buyer for their underperforming big-earners in January, Coleman knows that he might be forced to put his faith in the club’s talented crop of youngsters.
“Maybe I might give one or two (of the experienced players) a rest from it all, the pressure situation they find themselves in,” Coleman said in quotes reported by The Chronicle.
“I thought the kids did quite well, there’s less pressure on them because less is expected of them. They definitely gave us a little bit of energy and played with less fear.”
Lyden Gooch (below), George Honeyman and Joel Asoro have provided rare sparks of optimism in another worrying season on Wearside – but they are not the only fresh-faced talents that have caught Coleman’s eye.
According to The Chronicle, former Wales manager Coleman has been immediately won over by the precocious talents of young Ben Kimpioka. The Swedish starlet, who put three past Newcastle United for the Under-18s last month, has even been called up to train with the first-team squad on occasions.
And it seems that a first-team debut is just around the corner for the exciting winger, who The Chronicle claims has been scouted by Arsenal and has seven goals in ten Premier League Under-18 games this season.
The present may be a little worrying for Sunderland but at least the future looks bright enough.
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