Sunderland have not seen the best of Jake Clarke-Salter, so they will not have been best pleased to see him in top form with England.
Loanee Jake Clarke-Salter arrived at Sunderland full of promise but, as is too often the case on Wearside, his move has not panned out as planned.
A talented young defender hoping to gain Championship experience, both he and the Black Cats might well have expected a run-in that would see Chris Coleman’s men recover to a comfortable midtable position.
But Clarke-Salter has been desperately disappointing and so too have Sunderland.
The Chelsea centre-back has looked well out of his depth in the second tier, most notably receiving red cards in consecutive matches, and Sunderland fans could hardly be blamed for wondering if he will ever cut it at all.
But then they will have seen Clarke-Salter in action for England Under-21s last week and noted that he possesses a great amount of quality when playing in a decent side.
Clarke-Salter netted for the Three Lions and also made a brilliant, crucial block as he was the star turn in a win over Romania.
And the defender is not the only loanee at Sunderland with a big reputation, suggesting there are others who might thrive in another side or system.
Sunderland’s season has been frustrating enough without apparent confirmation that some of their players are capable of performing at a much higher level – Bryan Oviedo is heading to the World Cup this year, too.
Coleman will hope Clarke-Salter returns to the Stadium of Light full of confidence, but Sunderland fans may well be a little miffed to see one of their misfiring stars thriving elsewhere.
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