Sunderland are becoming very well-known for having a horde of young talent.
And their pool of impressive youngsters only seems to grow and become more impressive each season.
Despite last season’s poor league finish, it was still widely acknowledged that Sunderland boasted a very strong first-team squad.
And that was reflected in the amount of transfer interest that Sunderland received over the summer in names like Chris Rigg, Dan Ballard, and Trai Hume to name a few.
Then, Kristjaan Speakman went about a busy deadline day at the Stadium of Light, bringing in four new players; the two permanent signings Milan Aleksic and Ahmed Abdullahi being aged 19 and 20 respectively.
Not only do Sunderland boast a team brimming with potential, but they’re also a team who are as yet unbeaten in the Championship this season.
Regis Le Bris has guided the Black Cats to a perfect start to the 2024/25 season with four wins from four, with the last being a 3-1 win vs Portsmouth at Fratton Park.
Sunderland duo Jobe Bellingham and Milan Aleksic make top 100 list
Representative of Sunderland’s focus on youth, and their success so far, two of their players have now been named in a list of the top 100 teenagers in world football right now.
Conducted by Football Observatory, Sunderland pair Jobe Bellingham and Aleksic have been named in the list.
Bellingham ranks in 18th and is above the likes of Desire Doue at PSG, and Marc Benal at Barcelona.
Aleksic meanwhile ranks in 53rd and is ahead of names like Wolves’ Pedro Lima and Brighton’s highly-rated striker Evan Ferguson.
Barcelona and Spain sensation Lamine Yamal tops the list.
- READ MORE: National media say the same thing about ‘busy’ Sunderland man after Nations League defeat
One Sunderland name has badly missed out on the list
Bellingham and Aleksic’s inclusion on the list is great acknowledgement of Sunderland’s focus on youth.
The fact that Aleksic features having never played in England or for Sunderland should really excite fans for what’s in store there.
But youngster Rigg may be one other Sunderland player that’s badly missed out on being included in this list.
He’s been one of Sunderland’s star players so far and at 17-years-old, he’s someone with huge amounts of potential.
At the end of this season, if Rigg can keep on impressing, he’ll surely be in the list, if not near the top.
Sunderland return to Championship action with a trip to Plymouth Argyle on Saturday afternoon.