Sunderland make their return to the Premier League international cup when they face Athletic Bilbao at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday evening.
It marks a proud moment for the club’s academy, which has rebuilt steadily from the challenges it faced as a result of Sunderland’s back-to-back relegations from the Premier League to League One. It’s also a huge reward and opportunity for the players who performed so impressively in reaching the Premier League 2 play-off final last season.
It’s Sunderland’s first appearance in the competition since 2017, when they made it all the way to the final. There they were beaten 5-0 at the Stadium of Light by a quite outstanding Porto side, but making it that far was a superb achievement and the strength of the group was reflected in the careers they’ve been able to forge since. Here, we catch up with what came next for the 14 players who featured in that game and where they are now.
13. Andrew Nelson
Nelson had some major injury issues in the seasons that followed but is a key part of the side now at Darlington in the National League North. | Getty Images
14. Owen Gamble
Joined York City after his Sunderland departure but has not featured in the pro game in recent years. | JPIMedia Photo: Tom Banks
15. Elliott Dickman
In charge of the side was Elliott Dickman. Dickman would spend a brief spell as U21s boss at Newcastle United but is now in charge of South Shields. | South Shields FC