Sunderland are thought to be on the verge of handing one ‘promising’ youngster his senior debut.
The heaps of young talent at Sunderland has been the one thing that has gotten fans excited over the past couple of years, however it now seems to be the factor that has really troubled them.
The Black Cats have offloaded a number of their most experienced players, while others have endured spells on the sidelines or a suspensions.
The likes of Dan Neil and Anthony Patterson have been forced to claim that ‘experienced’ role, and for the most part, it hasn’t worked out this season.
However, with very few of the first team impressing in recent months, Mike Dodds has now been tipped to turn to another youngster after the international break.
According to Sunderland Echo journalist James Copley, the Black Cats could be set to hand Oli Bainbridge his senior debut towards the end of the campaign.
The full-back has come up through the ranks at the Academy of Light and impressed for the U18s last season, netting six goals in 16 games.
Bainbridge played the full 90 minutes of the U21s’ defeat to Newcastle United yesterday, with Copley claiming he had ‘not a bad showing’ on home soil.
The 18-year-old is thought to be very ‘promising’ at Sunderland and has already attracted interest from Everton, with the Toffees thought to be lining up a summer move for the defender.
Can Everton-linked Oli Bainbridge become a starter at Sunderland?
Sunderland should definitely considering promoting Bainbridge to the senior team after the international break, especially if they want to keep him at the club beyond the summer.
Mike Dodds is currently without three left-backs and Leo Hjelde has struggled to impress so far, so handing Bainbridge an opportunity could benefit both parties.
The Black Cats are now far from the playoffs, but still really need something to turn around this horrific form. It now feels like the perfect time to give players like Bainbridge a chance to show them what they can do, because at this point, what is the worst that could happen?
If the teenager makes his mark on the senior side for the rest of the season then he could well be tempted to remain on Wearside too, if he could be rewarded with more regular football next term.
Niall Huggins, Aji Alese and Dennis Cirkin all seem to be particularly injury prone, so Bainbridge will be eager to prove himself and climb up the pecking order before they are all able to return to full fitness.