Transfer news: Sunderland chief reacts as club confirm loan extension for England youth international

Sunderland goalkeeper Matty Young has extended his loan deal with National League North side Darlington until the end of the 2023-24 season.

The 17-year-old youth stopper has enjoyed a successful spell with the Quakers including seven wins from nine starts and three clean sheets since joining the club on loan earlier this year.

Young is gaining experience at Darlington alongside former Sunderland youth team players Andrew Nelson and Mitchell Curry, who are also a part of Darlo's squad under manager Steve Watson, himself a former player for Newcastle United.

The highly-rated goalkeeper has made rapid progress over the last 12 months as his performances within the Black Cats academy set-up earned him a first England youth cap when he featured alongside the likes of Kobbie Mainoo and Jack Hinshelwood in a 7-1 win against Mexico in November. Young has once again been called up to the England youth set-up and will miss Darlo's game this coming Saturday.

“It is great that Matty will be spending the remainder of the season with Darlington. They have been able to provide him with an excellent environment to not only develop, but also contribute to their objectives as a club," academy manager Robin Nicholls said about the loan move.

"The experience so far has been excellent, and we have been impressed with how Matty has been able to adapt to playing at a senior level of football. I believe that this experience will leave him with a great platform from which to build on next season. We must not forget that he is still 17-years-old, so exposure at this level of football is ahead of schedule for his development plan.”

Darlington manager Watson added; "We are delighted that Matty is staying until the end of the season, he has put in some very good performances and proved why he is highly rated by Sunderland. It's a testament to the club, to his fellow players and to the fans that he wants to stay until the end of the season."

A statement on Darlington's website also stated: Everyone at Darlington FC is delighted that Matty is staying until the end of the season, and we would also like to thank Sunderland for loaning him out to us."