Sunderland are really making their mark in the Championship this season, and several of their players are seemingly making their mark on the international stage as well.
Sunderland boast some of the best young talents in the country. Names like Chris Rigg and Jobe Bellingham are worth £40million each, according to some pundits, an they’re just two of several young names blossoming at the Stadium of Light.
Regis Le Bris boasts the youngest average squad age in the league. Despite that, the Black Cats sit in 4th place of the Championship table following what was a convincing 2-1 win at Sheffield Wednesday last weekend.
And that win came amid a flurry of changes from Le Bris. He made five total changes to the XI that day with Eliezer Mayenda coming into the starting lineup and scoring two more goals against the Owls, taking his season tally to six, with four of those goals having come against Wednesday.
Le Bris now has a bit of a selection headache. He has two in form strikers in Wilson Isidor and Mayenda but it seems more likely that only one starts each game, given Le Bris’ favoured 4-2-3-1 shape.
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Sunderland ace Eliezer Mayenda tipped for possible Spain U21s call
Mayenda’s brace last time out has shone a light on just how positive his season as a whole has been. Last time round he failed to record a single goal or assist in eight Championship appearances, compared to six goals and five assists in 27 league games this season.
And amid this somewhat breakthrough season for the 19-year-old, reports coming out of Spain have suggested that Mayenda could put himself into contention for a first call up to the Spain U21s side in the coming weeks and months.
Spanish outlet Hoy Aragon state that Mayenda’s ‘development has not gone unnoticed by the Spanish national team’ and that ‘his growth in English football could lead to him receiving opportunities in the Under-21s in the short term’.
Eliezer Mayenda would be in expensive company with Spain’s U21s
Mayenda represented Spain’s U17s on three occasions in 2022. He’s not had an international cap since but now he might have his sights set on Spain’s U21s, which already boasts some very expensive and exciting talent.
Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen plays for Spain’s U21s and in February, it was confirmed that the defender has a staggering £50million release clause on the south coast.
Elsewhere in the side are names like Barcelona’s Pablo Torre and Valencia’s Cristhian Mosquera, who’s had links to AC Milan this season. Also in the squad is Al-Ahli’s Gabri Veiga who was the subject of a £25million in December 2024.
Mayenda earning a call up would be a huge achievement for him and it would help put him on the European stage. Possibly, Sunderland could soon have another £20million-rated star on their hands.