£10m-rated Sunderland star could be coached by Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard in new twist

Patterson is being watched by England boss Gareth Southgate with a full call-up potentially on the cards with talk also suggesting the goalkeeper will be rewarded for his performances at Sunderland by being made the England number one for the U21s European Championships.

Patterson is still eligible to play for England U21s despite being 22 due to his age when the qualifying campaign began. Lee Carsley is the current England youth boss but reports from The Mirror this morning have stated that Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker are being monitored as potential replacements.

Should the FA pull the trigger now, then Patterson could find himself working under Lampard, Gerrard or Parker during the summer. However, a change after the European Championship is probably more likely, which wouldn’t impact the Sunderland man as he will be too old to play for the U21s.

After being given the number one jersey in the summer, Patterson, 22, has started all 36 league games in the Championship this season, including last Saturday’s loss against Coventry City.

Patterson was loaned to National League Notts County last campaign but was recalled by Alex Neil and claimed his place as first choice for the rest of the season.

Patterson started in both of Sunderland’s League One play-off semi-final games against Sheffield Wednesday and retained his place at Wembley in the final against Wycombe Wanderers

Patterson is also the subject of interest from Premier League clubs with the stopper being eyed by Wolves and Leicester City for a fee in the region of £10million