Update shared as Sunderland man set for uncertain January window | OneFootball

Hartlepool United boss Keith Curle has admitted that he doesn’t see Ellis Taylor as part of his plans, so a return to Sunderland would make sense.

The 19-year-old, who had impressed for the Black Cats’ development side in recent years, was sent to the League Two side in the summer in search for competitive football but things haven’t exactly worked out.

Whilst the change in management didn’t help, Taylor has only made four appearances in the league and Curle explained to The Mail, as quoted by the Sunderland Echo, that discussions need to be had about what’s best for the player, who is set to be with Hartlepool until the end of the season.

“I need to speak to Sunderland. We’ve got one of your players, he’s come out on loan to gain experience but he hasn’t gained that experience and he’s not gaining that experience. I spoke to Ellis about it and told him there’s no point in you being here if you’re not going to play games.

“I think he’s got the footballing ability to look comfortable in any training session but then it’s where will I get the best out of him in a game? What is his end product? Is he going to be going past full-backs and putting crosses in? Is he going to be cutting inside and having shots or linking up play?”

Which club did Sunderland sell these 19 players to?

1 of 19

Anton Ferdinand

Bursaspor West Ham QPR Trabzonspor

The verdict

It’s a shame for all parties that this hasn’t worked out as it seemed like a good move for Taylor, who does need to be playing regularly.

Clearly, it’s not going to happen at Hartlepool and you would expect Sunderland to agree to cut the loan short because Taylor needs to go elsewhere.

So, it’s a big month for the midfielder and the club and it will be interesting to see what the Black Cats decide is the next best step for the youngster.