One Sunderland loanee could be set for a move up the leagues after a positive loan spell.
The Black Cats’ academy has created several big talents over the last few years, with the current squad showcasing that.
Chris Rigg and Dan Neil find themselves packing out the centre-of-the-park at the Stadium of Light, whilst Tommy Watson has shone in recent weeks down the left-flank, however the latter will find himself out for a prolonged period after picking up an injury.
Sunderland also have academy product Anthony Patterson in-between the sticks, and it could very well be the case that he has a likely successor with one current loaned out Black Cats youngster plying his trade in non-league, with a potential EFL move being on the cards.
Sunderland youngster Adam Richardson shines for 7th tier Blyth Spartans
Goalkeeper Adam Richardson joined recently-relegated Blyth Spartans during this season, with the Green Army fighting from the prospect of back-to-back relegations at the time of his arrival.
The 21-year-old Sunderland shot-stopper has shone for the Northumberland-based side, however there is uncertainty over his future with his loan spell set to expire, however, Blyth Spartans boss Michael Conner is keeping his hopes up over extending the youngsters’ stay at the club.
Per Sunderland Echo, Conner said: “The current agreement comes to an end in January but we are hoping to get it extended until the end of the season.
“However, Sunderland might have Football League clubs looking at Adam so that complicates it from our point of view. We would love to have him until the end of the season because he has been fantastic for us since we brought him in.
“According to Sunderland, Adam has growing pains at the moment and he’s sprouted quite a bit over the last year so his body is playing a bit of catch-up and that’s why he’s picked up some little niggles – but we would love to have him with us for the rest of the season.”
Adam Richardson must follow Jordan Pickford blueprint to shoot up the English leagues
Out of the several top names that the Sunderland academy has created over the years, one notable example is 73-cap England shot-stopper Jordan Pickford, who has notched 269 appearances for Premier League outfit Everton.
Whilst it was a breakout season with the Black Cats in the 2016/17 Premier League season with Sunderland that altered the Toffees to make a move for Pickford, it was a long run of loan spells for him to endure in order to get up to that level, which included two non-league spells with Darlington and Alfreton Town in which he accumulated a total of 48 appearances.
Whilst Richardson has shown that he is more than capable of playing at the level of the 7th tier, it is still beneficial experience to continue picking up appearances in the lower echelons of the English pyramid, and it could be suggested that he could do with a full season at this level.