Liverpool winger Ryan Kent would’ve been perfect for Sunderland – but they landed Callum McManaman from West Brom instead.
Sunderland fans may have been excited by the prospect of a quick, dynamic and skilful winger arriving at the Stadium of Light after years of slow-paced stodge. Yet, Callum McManaman’s scintillating Man of the Match performance as Wigan Athletic stunned Manchester City in the FA Cup final was over four years ago now.
And the fact it remains the Liverpudlian’s most, if only, memorable performance may be cause for concern.
The former England Under-20 attacker is 26 years of age now and, after failing to kick on at Wigan, endured a miserable two-year spell at West Brom in which he accumulated just 20 Premier League appearances and struggled during a loan at Sheffield Wednesday last season.
Time to shine
Two years after joining The Baggies for £4.75 million, he joined Sunderland on a free, per The Chronicle, with manager Simon Grayson praying that he can rediscover that early promise. However, it’s difficult to shake the feeling that Sunderland would have been much better off landing Ryan Kent from Liverpool instead.
Like McManaman in his younger days, the 20-year-old is a hugely promising winger blessed with electric dribbling ability and refreshing unpredictability in the final third.
And McManaman will be up against it attempting to ease the disappointment of missing out on one of England’s most exciting youngsters – one who proved his Championship pedigree at Barnsley in 2016/17 and offered a glimpse of his potential when causing Bayern Munich no end of problems in a 3-0 pre-season thrashing.
Kent is exactly the youthful, energetic and creative presence Sunderland have been crying out for – time will tell if McManaman can bring the same attributes to the table.
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