Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray has said that he expects goalkeeper Nathan Bishop to move on if he is not established as no.1 in the future.
Bishop made the move to the Stadium of Light in the summer, joining from Manchester United.
He had been at Old Trafford since January 2020 when he joined from Southend United. He never made a competitive appearance for the Red Devils, however.
So far this season he has been the Black Cats’ established no.2, behind Anthony Patterson. He has only made one appearance so far this season, which was in the EFL Cup in the draw against Crewe, which they then subsequently lost on penalties.
Mowbray on goalkeeper’spotential desire to leave
Speaking to the Newcastle Chronicle, Mowbray said he finds it hard to believe how Bishop manages to remain so positive despite getting little to no game time.
“I find it difficult and think ‘how can you be so positive every day when you know you are not going to play on Saturday?’ But that’s the life of a number two goalie.
“I said to him the other day, at some stage over the next few years – not now, because you are only six months in the building – you have to get your career going, you have to play.
“If Anthony Patterson is staying here and continues to do well and you aren’t playing, I expect you at some stage to knock on my door and say ‘what do you think?’ But at this moment, he’s very very happy, he’s very positive.”
Should Bishop leave Sunderland?
You can definitely understand why Bishop would want to leave.
Bishop would have been going into Sunderland expecting to play more than he has, especially due to his pedigree at Manchester United.
However, Patterson has come through at Sunderland and is a year younger than Bishop, so Mowbray will want to start him as he has no reason to drop him. It would also more than likely not go down well amongst the fanbase.
It’s unlikely that Bishop would leave in January if he does so, so you would imagine he would wait until the summer to make a move.