Sunderland defender Ollie Younger may be in line for a League One debut after catching the eye of Lee Johnson with his ‘really impressive’ performances in training, as reported by the Chronicle.
One of many fresh-faced prospects who arrived during a hectic summer window at the Stadium of Light, the 21-year-old former Barnsley prospect is making a name for himself behind the scenes on Wearside.
Younger has been training with Sunderland’s first-team squad recently and has been included in the matchday squad for three League One fixtures since the turn of the year.
With Jordan Willis expected to miss the rest of the campaign with a ruptured patella, the door might just have opened for Younger to force his way into the starting XI.
They do say one man’s misery is another man’s fortune, after all.
“I do trust Ollie Younger, I think he is a great kid,” Johnson explained.
“I haven’t seen him enough in games yet to know whether he can handle that situation, but as a personality and in terms of his performances in training, he has been really impressive.
“I think Ollie Younger could step up, although he is injured at the moment – nothing serious though, just a knock and he should be back in training next week.”
Johnson did admit that Sunderland could ‘consider’ bringing in a free agent as cover for Willis, although it’s telling that he immediately turned the topic onto Younger.
It seems that the former Bristol City coach would rather give an unproven youngster the chance to prove himself, rather than enter the transfer market for a short-term quick fix.
And that has to be a positive.
After all, Sunderland have certainly been guilty of ignoring one of England’s most prosperous academies in recent years.
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