Eighteen months ago, Rees Greenwood was supposed to be the future of Sunderland, now he appears to be their forgotten man.
In May 2016, the Black Cats remarkably having escaped Premier League relegation with victory over Everton on the Wednesday, manager Sam Allardyce decided to give some game-time to some of his youngsters.
Now Greenwood, one of the stars of the final-day 2-2 draw with Watford, has been linked with a loan to League Two Carlisle United which would take him to the end of his Stadium of Light contract. Whether he ends up at Brunton Park or not, his career looks in need of a shot in the arm and perhaps a step backwards to move forwards.
In front of a raucous, sold-out away end partying through the game not only celebrating Sunderland’s latest great escape but Newcastle United’s relegation, Greenwood, Jordan Pickford , Tommy Robson, George Honeyman and Duncan Watmore were given a chance to show what they could do.
Rees Greenwood of Sunderland controls the ball under pressure of Jose Manuel Jurado (Image: 2016 Getty Images)
“The onus was on the young lads to come in and show that they would love to have this opportunity to play on a regular basis,” Allardyce explained in the post-match Press conference.
Saturday’s 1-0 win over Hull City was a thrilling for Sunderland’s academy and Honeyman, a substitute at Vicarage Road, was pulling the strings.
This has been the season the 23-year-old late developer has come of age as a Black Cat. It was actually against Hull last May when he first really showed what he was capable of, playing in the hole for the first time. Fast forward eight months and he was at it again, loading the bullets for academy-reared forwards Josh Maja and Joel Asoro, whose goal he created. Behind him, Ethan Robson was mixing tenacity with technical quality on a full Championship debut as impressive as Asoro’s.
Greenwood was nowhere to be seen.
Bringing through youngsters is always a hit-and-miss affairs. Even the greatest academies lose young talent on the way, with so many variable presenting possible obstacles. The scorer of the opening goal at Watford, Jack Rodwell, knows all about unfulfilled potential.
Rees Greenwood of Sunderland (#37) shoots at goal (Image: Sunderland AFC)
Pickford has since gone on to be England’s most expensive goalkeeper, having played in that summer’s Toulon Trophy-winning England Under-21 team with Watmore, now out with his second cruciate knee ligament injury. But left-back Tommy Robson was released to join Falkirk before Christmas and now it looks like Greenwood could also have made his first and last senior appearance at Watford.
“We know what Dunc can do, and Pickford, but I think that of Rees and George, Rees was probably the better of the two,” said Allardyce that day. That year Michael Gray said Greenwood had “a more polished game than Watmore ”. He had signed a two-year contract in January 2016, and was the Premier League 2 player of the month for February.
Carlisle have thus far refused to comment, but it feels like Greenwood needs a fresh start.
Although the winger from Winlaton scored on the first of three Football League Trophy appearances this season, he has not featured in a matchday squad for the first team. Relegation to the Championship has presented Honeyman in particular with an opportunity, but Greenwood does not have a squad number.
At 22, he needs first team football soon.
“If you’re 21, 22 and you’ve been languishing there playing 70, 80 games, under-23 football is not much good for you,” academy manager Jimmy Sinclair told The Journal in December.
Not that Sunderland had cottoned on to his age. On Saturday the club’s official Twitter feed wished him a happy birthday a month late. It felt emblematic.
With the Black Cats’ under-23s making a point of giving more opportunities to 17 and 18-year-olds recently, Greenwood is even being marginalised there. He was only a half-time substitute in the last home game, against Chelsea, not involved at Brighton and Hove Albion on Friday.
Barnsley's Conor Hourihane (left) tackles Newcastle United's Dwight Gayle (Image: PA Wire)
Having not played any loan football, Greenwood represents something of a gamble for managers like Keith Curle, who need results yesterday, but the talent which has seen him involved in Sunderland’s academy since the age of eight and win caps for England Under-20s provides the incentive.
It need not be the end for Greenwood. Having played his only senior football in a series of loans, John Egan left Sunderland for Gillingham on a free transfer shortly after the Watford game, but if he plays for Brentford at the Stadium of Light next month it will be as a Republic of Ireland international.
So is his former youth team colleague Conor Hourihane, who on Saturday scored his eighth Aston Villa goal this season. He started at Plymouth Argyle having failed to make an impression on Sunderland or Ipswich Town’s first team.
Having been unable to follow Honeyman’s path, it feels like he should take a leaf out of their book instead.