Former Sunderland boss Roy Keane always had high hopes for one academy star, but he only notched eight games in red & white.
Sunderland’s academy has uncovered some brilliant gems in recent years, with the most recent youngsters taking the team by storm being Chris Rigg and Tommy Watson.
The Black Cats academy has shone as one of the more prestigious in the country, and looking at the players that have been developed on Wearside, there is no surprise as to why.
From the likes of England shot-stopper Jordan Pickford to the current crop of talent playing week-in, week-out currently for Sunderland, there have been many success stories emerging from the Academy of Light.
One man back in 2007 was also tipped to be a bright prospect by then-manager Roy Keane, and despite a successful career, spanning 527 games, only eight of those were on Wearside.
Former Sunderland boss Roy Keane predicted Martyn Waghorn future that came into fruition
Emerging from the academy set-up in 2007 was striker Martyn Waghorn, who was handed his debut in the Premier League against Manchester United. It was a 4-0 defeat for the Black Cats at home to Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, and Waghorn was only handed a further seven games on top of his debut before being sent on several loan spells until he was sold permanently to Leicester Cty in 2010.
Despite the result, Keane at the time reviewed Waghorn’s performance optimistically, where he said: “We hope he will have a long and successful career at Sunderland, and if you are going to make your debut, why not against Manchester United?
“He found out when I named the team, like everyone else.
“He looked assured and comfortable out there, especially in the first half. We changed it in the second half and we had to do a team job. It was a tough debut for him.”
Fast forward 17 years, Waghorn has played for 17 clubs, predominantly across the EFL, and has now announced his retirement from the game.
Martyn Waghorn could have had top Black Cats career
There is no doubt that Waghorn’s career turned out to be a success, with the South Shields-born attacker notching a total of 134 career goals in 530 games, whilst also tallying 71 assists.
He was often reaching double-figures in terms of goals in the Championship, notably bagging 12 for Leicester City whilst on loan from Sunderland, something that could have been a catalyst for him to perform for the Black Cats, but he was alternatively sold.
Despite a brilliant career from Wearside, it could be the case that Sunderland may have had a top striker available at their fingertips, but the bold decision was made to sell Waghorn onto pastures new.