Ex-England and Tottenham footballer turned pundit criticises Sunderland starlet's form in League One

Ex-England and Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson has criticised Sunderland loanee Jack Clarke.
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The 21-year-old joined Spurs from Leeds for a reported £10million fee in 2019 but hasn’t been able to break into the first team – amid loan spells at QPR and Stoke.

Clarke was loaned straight back to Leeds on loan for the following campaign but hardly featured in the Championship.

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The winger has also had loan spells at QPR and Stoke, making 14 appearances for the Potters in the second half of last season.

Sunderland attacker Jack ClarkeSunderland attacker Jack Clarke
Sunderland attacker Jack Clarke

Clarke then joined Sunderland on loan in January under Lee Johnson before the head coach was sacked four days later.

The attacker came on as a substitute against Charlton Athletic as Alex Neil drew with Charlton Athletic at The Valley.

When asked by Football Insider for his thoughts on Clarke’s loan spell, Robinson said: “He should be ripping it up in League One.

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“If you sign from Tottenham on loan you should be head and shoulders above everybody else.

“He has gone from the Championship to the Premier League, back down to the Championship and now down to League One. He should be looking very good at that level, let’s be honest.

“There is time on his hands but he needs to start producing consistently if he wants to make it at the top level.”

Sunderland’s rivals in League One suffering striker injury crisis

Paul Warne has stated that striker Freddie Ladapo is expected to be sidelined for the next couple of weeks.

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The 29-year-old, who has netted 15 times this season and was linked with a move to Sunderland during January, sustained an injury to his quad and was withdrawn after 80 minutes as the Millers were beaten by MK Dons.

Sunderland loanee Will Grigg was also injured last month, with the Northern Irishman likely to be out until the end of the season.

"Freddie looks like he is going to be out for a couple of weeks, potentially," confirmed Warne.

Rotherham United are set to take on Sunderland’s North East rivals Hartlepool United in the semi-final of the Papa John’s Trophy over two legs.

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