Sunderland eye transfer move for Man United player | OneFootball

League One side Sunderland are keeping tabs on Manchester United midfielder Ethan Galbraith according to the Sunderland Echo, with Lee Johnson considering a loan move for the Northern Irishman.

Galbraith, 20, is yet to spend any time out on loan from the Red Devils but made his senior debut against Astana in the Europa League back in 2019. Since then, the midfielder has found senior minutes hard to come by under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and has been a regular in Manchester United’s Under-23s team.

Despite this inexperience, Galbraith has already won his first cap with Northern Ireland and could look to head out on loan as he looks to prove himself at a senior level. International teammate Daniel Ballard enjoyed a successful spell at Blackpool last season and if this potential move does go through, Galbraith will be hoping he can achieve something similar at the Stadium of Light.

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After losing the likes of Max Power and Grant Leadbitter last month on the expiry of their deals, the Black Cats need a talented man in the middle of the park and could potentially negotiate a deal with United, negotiations that could be made much easier if the Premier League side actively want to see how Galbraith copes in the third tier.

With manager Solskjaer tying him down to a new deal last October to keep him at the club until 2023, any move for the 20-year-old is destined to be a loan.

The Verdict:

The midfielder is very highly rated at Old Trafford so this would be a coup for Lee Johnson if he can sign him for the season – and Galbraith will be eager to play regular football at this level after spending much of last season with the Under-23s team.

Although the academy squad are a talented bunch, the midfielder can only develop to a certain point without the experience of senior football and it will be fascinating to see how the Northern Irishman copes if Johnson signs him and starts him regularly.

The departures of Power, Leadbitter and Josh Scowen are a blow, so the temporary addition of Galbraith is likely to be a talented replacement and a cheap one as well. There’s no doubt the Black Cats will also want to make other signings as well, so this would be a good deal to do if they can get it over the line.