Sunderland facing potential disappointment as Man Utd close in on contract agreement with Black Cats target | OneFootball

Highlights

Sunderland's hopes of bringing Joe Hugill back to the Stadium of Light in the near future look to have been dealt a blow.

That's after a report from The Manchester Evening News claimed that Manchester United are close to agreeing a new contract with the attacker.

How has Hugill's career gone so far?

Hugill initially began his youth career with Sunderland's local rivals Newcastle United, before eventually making the move to the Black Cats' academy.

Following some impressive form in Sunderland's youth ranks, the teenager made the move to Manchester United in the summer of 2020, for a fee reported to be in region of £250,000.

Since making that move, Hugill has yet to make his senior competitive debut for the Red Devils, although he has been in prolific form for United's Under 21s this season.

That comes after a spell on loan in the National League with Altrincham last season, where he scored once in seven league appearances.

It had previously been reported that Sunderland were keen to take the 19-year-old back on loan in the summer transfer window, although no deal ultimately materialised.

Now it seems as though United are instead focusing on securing the long-term future of Hugill at Old Trafford, before any such move is considered for the forward.

What are Manchester United's plans for Hugill?

According to this latest update, Hugill has now caught the eye of United's first-team manager Erik Ten Hag, with his performances in training.

As things stand, the striker's current contract with the Red Devils is set to expire at the end of this season, which could allow him to walk away from the club next summer, although it seems his form now means he is in line to extend his stay at the club.

It is now thought that Hugill is due to sign a new three-year contract with United, who will also have the option to extend that deal by a further 12 months.

Once this deal is signed and confirmed, the striker's future at Old Trafford will effectively be secure until the end of the 2026/27 season, making it hard for any club to prise him away from United - on a permanent basis at least - at any point in the not too distant future.

What does this mean for Sunderland's pursuit of Hugill?

This may be somewhat frustrating for Sunderland, given Hugill's goalscoring ability would have made him a useful asset for the club, and a popular signing given his past connections.

However, given that potential he is showing at Manchester United, they should not be too surprised that the Premier League side are now keen to secure of long-term future of a prospective asset.

Indeed, this does not mean that a loan move in the future is no longer a possibility, and Hugill may even benefit from that by learning the challenges of first-team football, so Sunderland may not want to give up on a reunion altogether.

But even if that does not happen, the strong start the Black Cats have made in the Championship this season, does at least suggest they may be able to cope without him if they have to do so.