The Sunderland man reportedly 'contacted' by international federation ahead of potential call-up

Sunderland under-21s midfielder Cuba Mitchell has been approached by the Bangladesh Football Federation regarding a possible international call-up, with conversations between the player and the national side currently ongoing.

The news comes from the internet outlet Footy Bangladesh via Pete O’Rourke. Mitchell, 19, penned his first professional contract with the Black Cats last summer, securing a deal through to June 2025, with the club holding an option to extend for a further year. The midfielder has featured regularly for Graeme Murty’s under-21s team this season but is yet to make a first-team breakthrough.

“Cuba joined the club as a 16-year-old from Birmingham City and has shown the potential that lies within him,” academy manager Robin Nicholls said after Mitchell signed his contract with Sunderland last summer. “It can be difficult for a young person to settle in a new area of the country at such a young age, but Cuba has embraced this challenge.

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“This first professional contract will see him join up with the U21 squad and be faced with a programme that will further develop him as a person and a player. We are delighted to have agreed terms on the deal and look forward to what lies ahead for Cuba.”

Luke O’Nien delivers Bristol City verdict

Luke O'Nien says Sunderland will be taking plenty of momentum going into the play-offs and is confident they will finish the campaign with positive results.

The Black Cats have lost back-to-back games but produced a spirited performance at Bristol City, losing 2-1 but playing for over 80 minutes with more than ten men. O'Nien says Sunderland will be confident whoever they face next month and said the resilience they showed at Ashton Gate demonstrates why they'll be going into the play-offs in a good place.

"We’ve got no fears about anyone," O'Nien said. "We’re confident going into any game and any team the play-offs throw our way, we will focus really hard on what we’ve got to do and give the best version of ourselves.

"I’m proud of the lads because we’ve built up a reputation where we go into every game expecting to win. Now we’ve built up an expectation, and at the start of the season, I’d have snapped off your hand for this feeling we’ve got, and when we don’t win, we’re really disappointed.

"We’ve created that through a lot of hard work, and now we’ve got to back it up with the wins we know we are good enough to go out and get. Momentum comes in different ways. You can look at it in black and white terms of wins, but you can look at Eli’s goal and the way we defended with ten men, which was very good. If you look at the season as a whole, there is momentum right there because of the feeling we’ve developed in the group. We’re a confident bunch, and after games, we always look at exactly where we need to do better."

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