"Down the pecking order" - Sunderland told to consider January loan exit | OneFootball

The Ukrainian striker has yet to carve out a meaningful role under Regis Le Bris, and could be a prime candidate for a winter move.

Sunderland have made a fantastic start to their 2024/25 Championship campaign, but striker Nazariy Rusyn is yet to carve out a meaningful role in Regis Le Bris' side.

The Black Cats have been in stellar form during the opening stages of the season, as they are among the clubs setting the early pace in the Premier League promotion race.

On the flanks, Romaine Mundle and Patrick Roberts have been causing havoc with opposition full-backs, whilst 19-year-old striking sensation Eliezer Mayenda has been leading the line like a veteran centre-forward.

Indeed, it is the form of the Spanish striker that has been limiting Rusyn to brief cameos off the bench, and the 25-year-old has been an unused substitute on numerous occasions too.

So, is the Ukrainian a prime candidate for a loan move away from Wearside come January? Football League World investigates...

Rusyn is "too far down the pecking order" at Sunderland

FLW's Sunderland fan pundit, Eddy Bamber, believes that depending on what league Sunderland find themselves in come the start of next season, that will likely dictate whether Rusyn remains with the Black Cats beyond 2025.

Bamber said: "The last time you asked me about Rusyn I was a bit scathing about him. He's not been too bad in his appearances since but, if Aaron Connolly comes in, that does knock Rusyn down the pecking order again.

"So, yes, it probably would be better to send him out on loan come January to get him some game time. Then, come the summer, the club can reassess, and see if maybe next year he might have more of a part to play.

"The thing is, and I can't believe I'm going to say this, next year the club might be in the Premier League. At which point, he would be sold.

"So, we'll wait and see. If we're still in the Championship next season, he might have a chance. But this year, I think he's going to be too far down the pecking order now."

Signing a four-year contract with the option of a further 12-month extension last summer, there was evidently a significant amount of faith that Rusyn could be a big part of Sunderland's future.

So to be discussing the potential for his exit just over a year later, speaks to a transfer that clearly hasn't worked in the way that many would've hoped so far.

Moving from Ukrainian football to a league as intense as the Championship is a tough challenge for any player, but this doesn't appear to be a case of the striker not bedding in on Wearside.

Rather, aside from a couple of flashes of his ability and potential, the striker just hasn't been able to hit a spell of form yet, and looks doomed to play a bit part role in Le Bris' side this season.

For a player who will have turned 26 by the time the January transfer window opens, whether it's in English football or elsewhere, Rusyn needs to be playing regular football or risk spending the prime years of his career limited to brief substitute cameos.

With the emergence of Mayenda, and the possibility of Premier League football returning to the Stadium of Light next season growing ever more likely with each passing Black Cats win, the path to regular football on Wearside will only continue to grow less and less clear for him.

But, with plenty of time remaining on his contract, Sunderland may only wish to say their temporary goodbyes to him in January. If Rusyn can return to Sunderland next summer reinvigorated after a fruitful spell away from the club, then he could yet fulfill his potential in the North East.