Manchester City are enduring a pretty torrid time of late. So too though are Sunderland who’ve suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time all season.
Although two completely different clubs with wildly different ambitions and resources, both Manchester City and Sunderland are at a bit of a loss right now.
Pep Guardiola, for all the great work he’s done at the club over the last nine years, is at a crossroads, with the ageing City squad in dire need of a complete overhaul.
Meanwhile at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland are at risk of squandering their impressive 2024/25 season. Regis Le Bris has faced criticism from fans after back-to-back defeats and a double injury blow to Dan Ballard and Enzo Le Fee makes for grim reading.
Last time out, Sunderland were beaten 1-0 by Hull City on home soil. The Championship strugglers nicked the win thanks to an Anthony Patterson own goal in the first half, piling more misery on the Black Cats shot-stopper who’s faced the firing squad of late.
Could Matty Young be the answer for Sunderland amid Anthony Patterson struggles?
Sunderland fans have criticised Patterson for his performances in recent weeks. The 24-year-old has been making some costly errors and many think it’s time for no.2 goalkeeper Simon Moore to take the starting spot from Patterson.
But going forward, in the next season and beyond, Sunderland need some kind of longer-term solution. That might still be Patterson but many might forget that Sunderland have an exciting young goalkeeper in their midst in Matty Young, who’s on loan at Salford City this season.
He’s featured 10 times in League Two this season, keeping am impressive seven clean sheets. Young’s form has been so impressive that Man City have been linked with a move, although little has been said about that since the initial links emerged earlier in the season.
Matty Young could net Sunderland millions
Jumping up from League Two to the Championship next season, unless Sunderland are promoted of course, would be a huge step up for Young. But it’s not a too dissimilar path to what Patterson took, going from non-league football with Notts County to a League One promotion race with Sunderland in 2022.
Young is certainly knocking on the door of the first-team now and with Patterson poor and Moore still very much a no.2, the time could be right for Sunderland to take a gamble on Young. Exposing him to the Championship next season could really see his transfer value shoot up, too.
Like many others in the side, Young could quickly become a £20million player at the Stadium of Light. But he needs that initial first-team exposure. Depending on how well Paterson can bounce back in the next few weeks, the summer could hand Le Bris a bit of a goalkeeper conundrum.