Sunderland’s Matty Young was flying on loan at Salford City at the turn of the year, but things have gone horribly wrong for him there of late.
It had appeared Sunderland had struck gold with yet another incredible goalkeeper emerging from the club’s academy to follow in the footsteps of Jordan Pickford and current number one, Anthony Patterson.
Matty Young had to fight for his place at Salford, but once he got given a chance, he came on leaps and bounds and kept his starting spot thanks to award-winning performances in League Two and in the FA Cup.
It seemed Young was not only flourishing for Salford, but was making a great case for himself to push on and break into the Sunderland squad in the near future. But, he’s regressed lately, and it’s sad to see.
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Matty Young has been dropped for the last eight matches
After a run of ten successive starts in the league, plus three outings in the FA Cup, Young has inexplicably been dropped by Salford manager Karl Robinson, with Jamie Jones taking his place.
Young has now been left on the sidelines for the last eight matches, during which time, Salford have won just one game and have slipped right away from the play-off fight.
It makes very little sense as to why Young has been replaced between the sticks. The 18-year-old had kept seven clean sheets (plus another in the FA Cup), and had even attracted the attention of Manchester City.
The only explanation really is that Young was on the wrong end of a battering from Pep Guardiola’s team in the FA Cup, and then Salford lost their next two games. Young was dropped after that.
After great progress, Matty Young may have to start all over again next season
Matty Young has been compared to Jordan Pickford, and his colleague, Anthony Patterson has tipped him to go to the top.
But, the problem for Young now is, he’s stuck at Salford until the end of the season, and if he can’t win back his place quick, he will no doubt be shipped out on loan again next year.
| Statistics | Matty Young (2024/25) |
| Games | 17 |
| Minutes | 1,530 |
| Goals against | 22 |
| Clean sheets | 8 |
He must surely have been relishing the chance to go back to Sunderland with a successful campaign under his belt, but now, he will only be able to lean on a handful of experiences and will need more time to develop before he is ready for the Sunderland first-team.
This change in fortunes couldn’t have come at a worse time for Young, either, as another Sunderland loanee, Nathan Bishop, is thriving with Cambridge United now and may well have clawed his way back up the pecking order at the Stadium of Light.