Sunderland AFC offer opportunity to Lincoln City player ahead of potential agreement | OneFootball

The Black Cats are looking to bolster their academy ranks with this promising Lincoln City shot-stopper

Sunderland are looking ahead to their next batch of academy superstars, as they have offered a trial to current Lincoln City scholar, Isaac Allan.

According to the Sunderland Echo, goalkeeper Allan becomes the second promising youngster to be offered a trial at the Academy of Light this week, following in the footsteps of Crystal Palace full-back, Freddie Cowin.

The 18-year-old is into his third season as a scholar at the Imps and is expected to be offered a professional contract at the culmination of the season.

However, Allan is appearing to keep his options open in case clubs higher up the footballing pyramid come swooping in, which the promotion-chasing Sunderland side may do.

Sunderland offer trial to exciting goalkeeper, Isaac Allan

The Sunderland Echo has reported that Sunderland have taken 18-year-old goalkeeper Allan on trial.

Allan grew up on the Isle of Man and attended football trials in the UK due to the limited professional football infrastructure in his homeland. His performances garnered much interest from various clubs, but it was Lincoln who offered him a scholarship.

The 18-year-old is now in his third season at the Imps, being a regular fixture in their under-18 setup throughout his first two years, featuring in consecutive FA Youth Cup campaigns in 2022/23 and 2023/24, which saw Lincoln exit in the third round both times.

This season, Allan has spent time training with the first team, albeit his last appearance in a League One squad came last season, in March's 5-0 win over Bristol Rovers.

Whilst Lincoln will likely offer the up-and-coming 'keeper a professional deal ahead of next season, the Echo reports that it's likely Allan will keep his options open in case of interest from elsewhere.

Sunderland's past academy success should attract scholars

Allan isn't the only current scholar on Sunderland's radar, as the Sunderland Echo also reported that current Crystal Palace youngster, Cowin, was also taken on trial at the North East club, appearing in the Black Cats' under-18 match against Liverpool, which Sunderland won 6-1.

Clearly, Sunderland have their eye on a variety of young stars, and if professional deals were to be handed out in the summer to the likes of Allan and Cowin, then the Black Cats' track record of developing youngsters would be a huge selling point.

Sunderland have boasted the youngest average squad age in the two seasons since their return to the Championship, and are on track to do so again this campaign.

In the past couple of seasons, players such as Dan Neil, Anthony Patterson, Chris Rigg and Tommy Watson have made the step up from the Black Cats' academy to play major roles in the Championship.

So, if an offer does come in, it would take a lot of persuading to keep the likes of Allan and Cowin at their current clubs.