Sunderland U21 stars Harrison Jones and Dan Cameron nominated for PL2 award
Sunderland Under-21 duo Harrison Jones and Dan Cameron have both been nominated for the Premier League Two Player of the Month award.
The Wearside pair have impressed for Graeme Murty’s side as they have started to bounce back from what was a disappointing start to the season.
Jones especially has caught the eye having registered three goal contributions in October.
The shortlist as posted on the Premier League website (1 November) includes praise for the two Sunderland youngsters:
“Harrison Jones: Sunderland’s 19-year-old midfielder was at his creative best in October, setting up the opening goal in the 6-0 home victory over Derby before producing two more assists as Sunderland beat Norwich 3-0.
“Daniel Cameron: Goalkeeper Cameron, 19, proved an unbeatable last line of defence as Sunderland bounced back from three consecutive defeats, keeping clean sheets in both their October matches, a 6-0 thumping of Derby County and 3-0 success at Norwich City.”
Sunderland have many more prospects coming through the academy
One thing that certainly doesn’t go unnoticed on Wearside is the club’s approach to not only retaining but developing its own talent.
Jones joined a long list of current academy graduates such as Anthony Patterson, Tommy Watson, Dan Neil and Chris Rigg to have featured for the first team this season as the club continue to demonstrate their willingness to show youngsters a clear pathway.
Cameron is one of many highly-rated goalkeepers at the academy with Matt Young and Adam Richardson also present. The latter having just returned from a 30-day loan spell at Hebburn Town.
The nominations showcase the improvement Murty’s side have shown over the last few weeks as they look to build on what was a successful campaign last time out.
Perhaps unfortunately for Jones, Sunderland’s main strengths this season have arrived in the form of their midfielders making it significantly harder for him to break into the first team.
However, with his current level of performance, he may get his shot in the coming weeks as the festive period heats up.
In other Sunderland news, Manchester United are reported to be the favourites in the race to sign 17-year-old star Chris Rigg.
For more Sunderland news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.