Sunderland are reportedly interested in re-signing Rangers attacker Martyn Waghorn.
Rangers’ Martin Waghorn in action with Celtic’s Erik Sviatchenko
According to a report from the Daily Mail, Sunderland are one of a number of clubs interested in signing Rangers attacker Martyn Waghorn this summer.
Waghorn, now 27, was born in South Shields and came up through the ranks with Sunderland, having joined the Black Cats at the age of just eight.
The forward made just eight first-team appearances though, and was sold on to Leicester City in the summer of 2010 having hit 12 goals in 47 games during a loan spell with the Foxes, but he has largely endured a nomadic career.
As a permanent Leicester player, Waghorn scored just eight more goals, and spells with Hull City, Millwall and Wigan gave him little success, before he joined Rangers in 2015 – and with 28 goals in 36 games, he became a hero at Ibrox.
This term has been a little tougher with just six league goals to his name, but the Daily Mail now report that Sunderland are interested in re-signing Waghorn, with former Celtic defender and current Black Cats boss David Moyes eyeing a raid on Rangers.
With relegation to the Championship looking more and more likely by the week, Sunderland may have to face up to life without Jermain Defoe in the near future, and at least one striker will be needed, with Waghorn potentially fitting the bill.
Rangers’ Martyn Waghorn celebrates scoring
A return to where it all started for Waghorn may be appealing having established himself in the game, and he did tell The Scottish Sun in 2016 that he still looks out for Sunderland’s results having spent so long with the club.
However, Waghorn did suggest that it wasn’t difficult to leave the club due to his lack of first-team opportunities, meaning Moyes and Sunderland would surely have to give certain assurances to Waghorn about his playing time in order for him to return to the Stadium of Light.
“I’d been there since I was eight and left when I was 19,” said Waghorn. “I didn’t find it difficult to leave, I wanted to go and play games. Steve Bruce gave me the chance to leave and I was grateful. Manchester United were my team but then I used to ballboy for Sunderland and would watch people like Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips. I still look out for their scores,” he added.
Waghorn surely wouldn’t return to be given the same role on the fringes that he endured when he was 19, and with competition from the likes of Leeds United and Nottingham Forest, Sunderland will have to work hard to bring Waghorn back to Wearside.
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