Sunderland youngster Harrison Jones has regarded two teammates in the highest regard.
In Sunderland’s win against Sheffield Wednesday, youngster Harrison Jones was handed his highly-anticipated Black Cats first team league debut.
Jones’ first start for the first-team came in the FA Cup home defeat to Stoke City, with his first minutes coming at the start of the campaign with a substitute appearance in the EFL Cup against Preston North End. The 20-year-old’s recent performances at academy level warranted him his first league minutes against the Owls, coming on in the dying embers of the 2-1 victory.
Regis Le Bris has already paved the way for several youngsters this season, with Jones being the latest young talent to prove his worth to earn a spot in the Frenchman’s squad, and after the game, he highlighted two Sunderland players that he currently looks up to and tries to ‘emulate’.
Sunderland gem Harrison Jones pinpoints fellow academy graduates Dan Neil and Anthony Patterson as role models
Sunderland have several young players in-and-around the starting side, so Jones’ inclusion is far from a surprise. There were three players younger than Jones in the side when he came on, being Chris Rigg, Jobe Bellingham and the goalscorer, Eliezer Mayenda.
Sunderland youngster Jones who notched his league debut last time out spoke about two players that he looks up to in the current Black Cats squad, both of which have been crucial players now for a number of seasons.
Per Sunderland Echo, Jones said: “I look at players like Dan Neil, and Anthony Patterson, who are now regulars in the first-team, came through the academy, and that’s who I look up to and try to emulate.”
Regis Le Bris comments suggest bright future for Harrison Jones on Wearside
Black Cats youngster Jones has shone in recent seasons at youth level, and it was only a matter of time before he was handed well-deserved minutes in the league.
He has been in contention of notching first-team minutes for a while, having been named on the bench 19 times this Championship season.
Another obvious thing is Sunderland boss Le Bris’ awareness of the youngster’s potential, and knowledge over what he could achieve in his career.
Speaking about Jones, Le Bris said ahead of the clash with Cardiff City: “He showed good qualities during the training sessions. He is a nice boy, really well-connected with everybody, and is a hard worker too. He has a willingness to improve every day, so I think he deserved that opportunity, he has shown on a number of occasions that he is part of the group and ready to play. I think he can get more minutes moving forward, it is possible.”
Le Bris is clearly a man of his word when it comes to handing youngsters valuable minutes to aid theory development, as seen by the likes of Rigg and Tommy Watson notably, and that will bode well for Jones, who will certainly be handed a more prominent first team role in the near future.