Sunderland: Man Utd player could be ideal Daniel Ballard replacement if he leaves - View | OneFootball

Highlights

Sunderland may be searching for a replacement for Dan Ballard in the summer as transfer links have emerged surrounding the 24-year-old in the last week.

Ballard signed for the Black Cats in the summer of 2022, joining from Arsenal in a permanent transfer deal following their promotion to the second tier from League One.

Since then, he has been a key player for the Wearsiders when fit, racking up over 50 appearances for them and establishing himself as a top Championship centre-back.

At 24 years of age, you'd expect that now is the time for Ballard to make the move up to the top division - presuming that Sunderland do not get promoted in the current campaign.

Whilst the jump to the top flight looking like it could have happened with Sunderland last season, their play-off defeat against Luton Town and the poor run of form this season - which has seen both Tony Mowbray and Mick Beale sacked as manager - has put the Black Cats on the back foot in the chase for the play-offs.

Ballard has been linked with a move away from Sunderland with Everton interested

Sunderland could be looking for a replacement for Ballard in the summer, if rumours of a move away from the club come to fruition.

Everton have been linked with a move for Ballard, with a €23 million (£19.66 million) figure being reported as the potential transfer fee the Merseyside club would have to pay for the six foot two inch centre-back.

While this seems like a huge fee for Everton, given their recent financial troubles in the Premier League, the Sunderland defender is being targeted as a replacement for Jarrad Branthwaite.

in the summer if a huge offer comes in, leaving a hole to fill in defence for Sean Dyche.

Man United's Will Fish could be an ideal replacement for Ballard at Sunderland

While Sunderland may be forced to part with Ballard in the summer, they could find a cut-priced replacement that is ready-made by signing Man United's Will Fish.

The 21-year-old has spent the season on loan at Scottish side Hibernian, where he has impressed in his second year in a row at the Edinburgh outfit.

Fish has been a key part of the Scottish side's defence, starting 26 matches in the Scottish Premier League and helping Hibs up to seventh place in the table.

Looking at individual stats, Fish has performed well for the Easter Road outfit.

puts him among the top defenders in the league, showing his ability to bring the ball out of defence and help build attacks from the back for his team.

This is one skill that Ballard is known for at Sunderland, although he has only completed 0.25 dribbles per game compared to Fish's 0.40.

While Fish could indeed be an improvement in this area, the difference in quality in the two leagues could make up for that.

He is also within the top 17% of players for tackles completed in the league, while winning 70% of aerial duels to show how impressive he has been in defence.

Fish has the most clearances per 90 minutes out of any player in the entire league.

While this shows his skills at the back, it also shows that Hibs are often facing attacks regularly throughout matches, meaning their defence is a lot busier than many other teams in the league.

A move to a better quality team like Sunderland would give him the chance to work on more facets of his game, and help build up from the back more.

A number of Championship clubs have been linked with Fish recently, with a view of a permanent move for the defender in the summer - with the Black Cats being one of those.

Sunderland will need to compete with clubs including Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough for his signature, so will likely need to move quickly for the United youngster.

With his contract set to expire in the summer of 2025, the Red Devils will likely want to cash in on Fish once the season has concluded.

He has never been given opportunities to cement himself in the United team, playing just a single minute in the Premier League for his contracted club.

Sunderland could offer Fish first-team football in the Championship for the first time in his career, and he could provide a worthy, cut-price replacement for Ballard if the centre-back is sold in the summer.