Sunderland: 4 academy products set to become future stars at the Stadium of Light | OneFootball

Sunderland's Academy of Light has been a breeding ground for the stars of tomorrow over the last few decades. Sunderland have, arguably, earned the right to be called the leading academy in the North East with the club’s output of young, exciting talent seemingly unparalleled in the region. The likes of Liverpool Captain, Jordan Henderson, and England number one, Jordan Pickford sewed the seeds for their brilliantly successful careers at the Wearsiders’ training base. Current starters, Dan Neil and Anthony Patterson also found their feet while lacing up their boots in Sunderland’s youth system, as well as Elliot Embleton, and Lynden Gooch.

Having recently retained its category 1 academy status, owner Kyril Louis Dreyfus and Sporting Director, Kristjaan Speakman are very much abiding by the motto adorned on the club's crest of being “In pursuit of excellence”. As Sunderland nurture future first-team names within their current academy structure, let’s take a look at those names on the books that could feature in the not-so-distant future…

Chris Rigg

At 15 years young, Chris Rigg achieved an unprecedented first; he made his debut for the Mackems in the FA Cup, even scoring a goal on his debut, that was cruelly snatched from him when it was adjudged to have been offside. Deriving from a family divided by the Tyne-Wear derby, to Sunderland fans’ dismay, Rigg finds himself of a black-and-white persuasion. Despite his Newcastle allegiances, the youngster, now 16, recently signed on the dotted line, extending his stay on Wearside. With both Manchester United and Newcastle sniffing around, the promise of more game-time at Sunderland was evidently the deciding factor. If Rigg carries on in this vein, the England under-16 captain has a bright future ahead of him in red and white stripes, and will certainly garner further praise from gaffer, Tony Mowbray.

Zak Johnson

Due to be turning 19 at the end of July, centre-back Zak Johnson made real strides in the 2022-23 campaign for the Sunderland under-23s in the Premier League 2, racking up 18 appearances. His performances didn’t go unnoticed, either with a call-up to Neil Ryan’s under-18s England squad coming this summer, where he appeared in a 3-2 win over Australia. Back in 2021, the player broke a 50-year-old club record by appearing in a second-half cameo during a Papa John’s trophy clash at just 16 years old, the youngest player to have featured for Sunderland’s first-team since 1971 (a record which has since been broken again).

Mason Cotcher

With pace to burn, a clinical eye in front of goal, sublime spacial awareness, and the agility that turns defenders inside-out, striker Mason Cotcher is another player making a name for himself at the academy level. Scoring nine goals in 19 Under-18 Premier League appearances, the forward fired Sunderland to a second-place finish in the northern section of the league, just four points off Manchester City. Reaching these heights at just 16, it’s hardly surprising Cotcher has been running out for the England under-17s.

Jake Waters

Another exciting forward-thinking player building a reputation for himself as a prolific goalscorer is Jake Waters. Featuring predominantly for the under-18s, the marksman received his first cap for the under-21s with a 10-minute cameo away at West Brom. During the 22-23 season, Waters netted on 13 occasions for the under-18s and registered five assists; an impressive return for a player who spent half of the season playing two years up.