Graeme Murty reveals Milan Aleksic plan after Sunderland under-21 debut against Everton

Sunderland figure Graeme Murty has revealed the club’s plan for summer signing Milan Aleksic.

The 19-year-old Serbian midfielder signed for Sunderland on deadline day from Radnicki 1923 in the Serbian Superliga.

The youngster played 25 times last season and had a big impact on the team with two goals and seven assists, helping his side to a fifth-place finish and a Europa Conference League play-off place.

Aleksic has already scored twice in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers this season and has caught the eye of Sunderland scouts with his ability to dictate games at such a young age.

Since joining Sunderland, Aleksic has been eased into proceedings, given his new surroundings and his lack of English. The player was named on the bench for the first team under Régis Le Bris against Middlesbrough last Saturday and played his first football for the club under Murty this week as the Black Cats lost 4-3 against Everton in the Premier League 2.

“We want to see more of him. We want to give him a platform to go on and play, along with all the first-team players”, Murty told his club’s media. “We keep on saying that we are a willing vehicle for those guys to get in the minutes to get an understanding, to get match fit, to get sharper.”

Murty added after the game on Aleksic: “And we also want to make sure that our young players get the opportunity to play alongside them and show how well they can do.”