The Whites player left Elland Road in the summer to link up with the Black Cats at the Stadium of Light for the season.
Leeds United loanee Laurens De Bock made his first appearance in a Sunderland shirt as he played for the Under-23s in Monday night’s 3-2 defeat against Middlesbrough.
The 26-year-old left Elland Road on transfer deadline day this summer to link up with the Black Cats on loan, having only made only seven appearances for Leeds since joining in January 2018 from Club Brugge, for whom he played more than 100 times and featured in Europe (BBC Sport).
Jack Ross had been keen to sign some competition for academy graduate Denver Hume at left-back and De Bock was described by the Scot as the “last piece of the jigsaw” (The Northern Echo).
On Monday, the Belgian was drafted by Elliot Dickman into his starting XI for the Wear-Tees derby in the Premier League 2 and played the full 90 minutes, with Ross and his coaches watching from the stands at Eppleton.
As reported in the Sunderland Echo, De Bock put in a bright display as he made some smart interceptions, won several standing tackles, and his awareness and positioning were good, culminating in the opposition switching their attacks to the other flank.
Although the report states he had few opportunities to venture into the final third to cross, he did deliver a “glorious crossfield pass” in the first half, while at the back he “kept it simple”, didn’t give the ball away, and carried out a fine piece of defending late on when he forced the opposition striker to overrun the ball.
The final assessment of De Bock in the report was as follows: “His quality was clear and getting through 90 minutes will bring him closer to first team contention”, which bodes well for both fans of his loan club and the contingent at his parent club, who will surely be monitoring proceeds closely.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
