Sunderland have a gem in Finn Geragusian after what he did v Reading

Sunderland U18’s came away with three points in a 2-0 win against Reading in the Premier League Cup with Finn Geragusian in the spotlight.

The Armenian-born forward scored both of the goals as his side moved to the top of Group B and his performance should provide encouragement for the remainder of the season.

Geragusian first made his name known at the club when coming off the bench as a 15-year-old in a fixture for the U18s side last season.

Speaking to WeAreSunderland [9 January], Fin Lynch, a member of the player development side of Sunderland Academy, said: “We’ve got a lot of good quality within the academy and what we always say for any kid coming through, from Under-9s when we’re looking after them, to try and talk about a pathway.”

Sunderland youth pathway clear to see

In terms of player development, there are very few clubs better at it than Sunderland in current times. Just in the squad now, Chris Rigg, Dan Neil, Anthony Patterson and most recently Tommy Watson have broken into the first team after lengthy spells in the club’s academy, all of whom have excelled at the required level.

Stadium of light, Sunderland
Photo: Imago

They join a long list that consists of Jordan Pickford and Jordan Henderson, who came through the academy and quickly established themselves in the first team.

The same applies to Geragusian. Still in his teen years, he has years of development ahead of him and with the right management and development programme, he could be someone to keep an eye on in the future.

In other Sunderland news, Alan Browne has had some fun at Illan Meslier’s expense after the shocking mistake late in the contest between Sunderland and Leeds United.

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