Sunderland could go up against a former player when they travel to Middlesbrough in the Championship tomorrow afternoon.
Sunderland make the short journey to the Riverside to face Middlesbrough tomorrow, in what should be an exciting Tees-Wear derby.
The reverse fixture ended in a 4-0 Boro win at the Stadium of Light earlier in the season and so the Black Cats will be out for revenge.
And Michael Beale will be looking to build on a positive 3-1 win over Stoke City last time out, as he battles to win over the Sunderland faithful.
It’ll be a tough game though; Middlesbrough currently sit in 11th compared to the Black Cats in 7th, and a win for Boro would bring them level on points with Sunderland.
And tomorrow, there could be a former Sunderland man looking to get one over his former; Paddy McNair.
Sunderland set to face former player Paddy McNair vs Middlesbrough
McNair, 28, joined Sunderland along with Donald Love in a reported £5.5million deal from Manchester United in 2016.
But a ruptured ACL limited McNair to just 28 appearances during what was a two-year spell on Wearside; McNair though managed to score an impressive seven goals from defence and midfield.
He showed definite glimpses of a quality player during his brief time at the club. But he was shipped to Middlesbrough in 2018 and he’s been with the club since, making 213 total appearances for the club, with 14 goals and 16 assists to his name.
Now 28, McNair has returned to the bench for the last couple of outings after a few weeks out injured; he’s featured 15 times in the Championship this season.
McNair then could well be poised for a return to action against his former club tomorrow.
He remains a very experienced and versatile player but he could be on the move this summer, with his contract at the Riverside set to expire at the end of this season.
Black Cats set for Boro showdown
Tomorrow’s game has panned out to be a very crucial one for both teams as they vie to break into the top six before the end of the season.
And it comes after a testing January transfer window for both, though Sunderland will be buoyed by a flurry of late activity which saw them sign Leo Hjelde, Romaine Mundle, and Callum Styles.
And it looks like Hjelde and Mundle could well be in action against Middlesbrough tomorrow, with Styles set to miss out.