Sunderland AFC could sanction player return in January | OneFootball

The Black Cats could be preparing to recall their talented young goalkeeper from The Ammies in January.

Sunderland are set to hold a January review of the loan deal which sent highly-rated goalkeeper Matty Young to Salford City at the start of the season.

That's according to Alan Nixon reporting via his Patreon account, as the Black Cats will consider whether to recall the teenager from the League Two side in the winter window.

Young, 18, had enjoyed a short spell with non-league side Darlington between February-May in the second half of last season, and his summer switch to the Peninsula Stadium marked his first opportunity to play in the EFL.

However, he hasn't been able to win the starting gloves so far this season in Karl Robinson's team, possibly inciting doubt at the Stadium of Light that staying with The Ammies for the remainder of the season would be the most beneficial thing for their young goalkeeper.

Jamie Jones' presence has seen Young handed a backup role so far

Proven and experienced goalkeepers can often prove to be the scourge of a young one, and that appears to be the case at Salford City so far this season as far as Young is concerned.

The England youth international has yet to make a single appearance in the league so far this term, with 35-year-old Jamie Jones starting every single one of Salford's League Two outings up to now.

A vastly experienced shot stopper with the likes of Middlesbrough, Wigan, Stevenage, Coventry and Leyton Orient, Jones has been one of Robinson's better performers through the opening 16 league games, and appears fairly well rooted in-between the Salford sticks for the remainder of the campaign.

As such, Nixon reports that Sunderland are now ready to reconsider Young's position with the club when the January transfer window opens.

It may well be the case that the Black Cats recall their academy starlet and then send him back out on loan elsewhere in the new year, even if that was to mean he drops back into non-league football for the rest of the season.

Sunderland will surely want to see Young playing regular football

This report would strongly suggest that Sunderland value Young receiving regular playing time, even if it was to mean dropping out of the EFL, over the experience of sitting behind a veteran goalkeeper in League Two.

That's totally understandable too, as he's evidently a prospect that is highly regarded on Wearside, and thus they'll be extra careful when planning out his next steps in the game, as they won't want to see his progress halted.

His time with Darlington was a major success for Young, as he was awarded the club's Young Player of the Season award, and drew some real high praise for his performances with the Quakers.

Speaking in an interview with the Sunderland Echo, Mitchell Curry -Young's Darlington teammate at the time - said of Young: “It is mental really (regarding Young's talent level). I had heard about him from Dan Neil and Anthony Patterson.

"They said he was good. And then I spoke to Luke O’Nien and he said he was unreal! He actually said he thinks he will play in the Premier League, which is a big statement to make!

"Since he has come into Darlington, that’s where our upturn in form has come from and he has obviously been a big part of that. We have won seven of the last nine and he has played in eight of them. Everything about him is good. His kicking his physicality, his body. He is ahead of his years really."

So, after receiving rave reviews and being tipped for the top by a number of Sunderland's first-team stars, Young has clearly been making an impression in recent times, and looks to be a goalkeeper with bags of ability and potential.

Therefore, Sunderland will obviously want to make sure they keep him on the path to success, and if that means recalling him from Salford and getting him a move elsewhere in January, then that appears to be something the club would be prepared to do.