Done deal: Sunderland player who featured against Stoke City completes loan transfer exit

Sunderland defender Zak Johnson has sealed a loan move to Notts County, it has been confirmed.

The 20-year-old has frequently been involved in Regis Le Bris’ senior match day squad this season, and was introduced from the bench during Saturday’s FA Cup third round defeat at the hands of Stoke City following Aji Alese’s injury. Johnson has previously enjoyed loan stints with Hartlepool United and Irish outfit Dundalk FC, and will now spend the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign at Meadow Lane. At the time of writing, Notts County sit sixth in League Two.

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Addressing Johnson’s loan exit, Sunderland academy manager, Robin Nicholls said: "Zak is at a stage in his career where he has gained some excellent experiences, with two senior loans and a youth international selection under his belt. We are delighted that he will be spending the second half of the season with Stuart [Maynard’s] side and we firmly believe that he will be able to play an important role in Notts County achieving their goals."

County director Richard Montague added: “With Lucas [Ness] likely to miss the remainder of the season and Lewis [Macari] facing a prolonged spell on the sidelines, it was important for us to add another defender to the squad to ensure we have adequate depth for the run-in.

“Zak is a highly promising player who, in addition to his appearances at Sunderland, has experience of senior football following strong loans in the National League with Hartlepool and in the League of Ireland with Dundalk. He’s a good size, athletic and comfortable on the ball and we look forward to working with him."

Speaking about Johnson last month, Sunderland head coach Le Bris said: “His reaction, the way he trains every day, is very positive. I like Zak in the training sessions, especially when he's a teammate on the bench.

Le Bris added: “He's always positive, he's a good player. He needs time to develop. I think for him, it's more difficult because the back four is more consistent and probably if he had been a winger, it should have been different for him. But that's the case. And so far, he's very positive with the team and I like his profile.”