While Sunderland were busy beating Derby County on Tuesday night, it seems one fringe player in Regis Le Bris’ squad was getting ever closer to leaving the club.
The Black Cats held firm against a dogged Derby side to claim a 1-0 win away from home and continue their assault on the Championship title race.
Regis Le Bris offered very little in the way of surprises with his team selection for the game, relying on his tried-and-tested Sunderland stars to deliver the win.
But, with one rarely-seen player not even making the bench for the trip to Derby, and it seems we could have our next confirmed Sunderland transfer in the offing.
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Nazariy Rusyn set to depart Sunderland this month
Speaking to the Northern Echo about Nazariy Rusyn’s absence from the matchday squad for Tuesday’s game, Le Bris confirmed he didn’t select the Ukrainian as he is edging closer and closer to leaving the club this month.
“It is possible something could happen there [with Rusyn],” Le Bris said. “We are having many conversations at the minute about his journey and the options we could find for him.”
He added: “As I have said before, it is very important to combine the two ideas – the purpose of the club and the team, and the purpose of the player. Sometimes, some of the players need minutes, and I think, for him, it could be a good opportunity to do something different.”
Even way back in December it appeared almost certain Rusyn would leave Sunderland in January, and the latest rumours suggest he could head back to Ukraine to join LNZ Cherkasy.
Le Bris stated it was “too early” to say whether Rusyn’s potential departure would be a permanent one or a loan move, but either way, it would seem the 26-year-old has no future on Wearside.
- READ MORE: Sunderland transfer round-up: Matija Frigan deal is close and Wilson Isidor future already decided
Rusyn’s exit surely means a new signing is close
Rusyn has barely been involved for Sunderland this season, with just 66 minutes of football across eight league appearances. Suffice to say, his exit will not cause many ripples throughout the squad and will not impact Le Bris’ team selections.
But, what it does surely tell us is that the Black Cats are determined to bring in another attacker this month, especially since Aaron Connolly has already left on a free transfer.
Sheffield United seemingly won the race for Tom Cannon, but there is still Matija Frigan for Sunderland to consider, with the Croatian striker looking like the most probable signing at this point.
Of course, the transfer market is hard to predict, and there’s always the chance of Sunderland surprising us all with a move out of the blue, too.