As the old saying goes, a week is a long time in football. So imagine what can happen in five years. Cast your minds back five years ago and Sunderland were in League One without a great deal of hope at the club generally.
Owners, managers and players have changed at the Stadium of Light since then as Sunderland, with Tony Mowbray in charge, now look up the Championship table, rather than over their shoulders like they have done previously.
But what could life look like on Wearside five years from now? To gauge this, we’ve taken to Football Manager 2024 to see what they believe is in store for the Black Cats at the end of the 2027-28 season.
Here, we take a look at what Sunderland’s team in five years' time could look like - according to our Football Manager 2024 simulation.
1. GK: Anthony Patterson
The boyhood Sunderland fan and Academy of Light graduate is still Sunderland's number one goalkeeper in 2028 and is valued at £46million in-game. Photo: Jess Hornby
2. RB: Connor Bradley
The current Wolves man plays right-back for Sunderland in the Premier League in our five-year simulation to 2028 on the popular game Football Manager 2024. He is valued at £11million in-game. Photo: Matt McNulty
3. LB: Ruben Vinagre
The current Everton man plays left-back for Sunderland in the Premier League in our five-year simulation to 2028 on the popular game Football Manager 2024. He is valued at £21million in-game. Photo: Charlotte Tattersall
4. CB: Taylor Harwood-Bellis
The current Manchester City man plays centre-back for Sunderland in the Premier League in our five-year simulation to 2028 on the popular game Football Manager 2024. He is valued at £52million in-game. Photo: Nathan Stirk