Sunderland striker joins Darlington on short-term loan as clubs in England and Scotland weigh up January move

The 21-year-old has joined the non-league outfit on a 28-day loan deal, as revealed earlier today by the Echo.

Nelson will team up with Sunderland teammate Williams Kokolo at Darlington, the versatile 18-year-old having joined on loan earlier this month.

The loan spell at Darlington will be a good opportunity for Nelson to build-up his match fitness and get some competitive first team action under his belt following a lengthy spell out injured this season.

Nelson, it is understood, is in line to leave on a longer term loan deal in January, with a host of clubs keeping close tabs on him.

The Echo understands there is interest in Nelson from clubs in the bottom half of the Scottish Premiership, Scottish Championship plus clubs in League One and Two in the football league in England.

The Sunderland coaching staff are conscious of getting the striker further game time given his long term injury suffered in pre-season.

In November, Jack Ross admitted Nelson's injury meant he missed out on a chance to make his first team breakthrough.

The 21-year-old began pre-season in the first team set up but picked up a foot injury that Ross says the medical staff 'had never seen before'.

Nelson made his comeback for the U23s recently, with the club now keen to get him some competitive first team action on loan.

The foot problem that curtailed Nelson's pre-season was not the first injury he has had to battle through.

Whilst on loan at Falkirk last season he suffered a fractured cheekbone and during his first loan spell at Hartlepool in 2017 he suffered knee ligament damage.Speaking about Nelson last month, Ross told the Echo: "The way things worked out for us in forward areas, he would probably have had opportunities.

"Whether he would have taken them we can’t say for certain but he would have had them.

"It was a horrible injury he got, really troublesome one, one that the medical staff had never seen before.

"So that wasn’t nice for him, particularly having fractured his face towards the end of last season. "He’s a new lad Andrew, it’s good for him to be back involved."

Ross, speaking in November, added: "He had the loan spell at Falkirk and he needs to be playing games. He knows that,.

"He’s done his bit in U23s football and he needs to be around a first team somewhere."