Wilson Isidor's back injury as Man United man spotted at Sunderland vs Portsmouth ahead of big transfer call

Sunderland faced Portsmouth in dire conditions at the Stadium of Light in the Championship on Sunday but ran out 1-0 winners following a nervy finish between the two sides.

Here, though, we take you through the most interesting moments and incidents you may have missed before, during and after Sunderland’s game against Portsmouth at the Stadium of Light:

Manchester United man spotted at Stadium of Light ahead of transfer decision

Former Sunderland striker Joe Hugill was at the Stadium of Light to take in the Black Cats game against Portsmouth in the Championship on Sunday afternoon.

The 21-year-old was part of Sunderland’s academy setup but was sold to United in 2020. Hugill is yet to make a senior appearance for the Red Devils and joined Wigan Athletic on loan during the summer transfer window but hasn’t been afforded too many opportunities to get a rhythm going under manager Shaun Maloney.

Given his limited minutes at Wigan Athletic, who are currently 17th in League One, The Echo understands that the player could be recalled by Manchester United ahead of another loan move during the January transfer window with both the Red Devils and the player keen to play more football this season.

At one point in his career after leaving, Hugill would have preferred a move back to the Black Cats on loan, but that ship now appears to have sailed, given Sunderland’s rise through the ranks in the Championship. Should be recalled, Hugill is likely to move to League Two in order to guarantee game time.

Boyhood Sunderland fan Hugill was joined at the Stadium of Light by goalkeeper Matty Young, who is currently on loan at Salford City from Sunderland. The 18-year-old has kept seven clean-sheets in eight EFL games ahead of the club’s game against Manchester City in the FA Cup next weekend. Young has recently been linked with a move to the Premier League club despite just signing a new deal at the Academy of Light and it will be interesting to see if he is picked ahead of Jamie Jones again by Karl Robinson.

Wilson Isidor continues to hold his back during Sunderland matches

One superb trend in recent weeks has been the form of Zenit loanee striker Wilson Isidor, who has netted three in four games after going seven without registering.

The Frenchman netted the only goal of the game in the first half as Sunderland won against Portsmouth at the Stadium of Light in the Championship. Isidor was also a tad unlucky not to score a second after seeing a sublime finish ruled out for an offside call.

However, it was concerning to see the striker once again holding his back during the game against Portsmouth. Isidor took a knock in the 26th minute of the game and looked to be in some discomfort after a collision which left the big forward feeling his back.

Though the game wasn’t stopped, and Isidor was able to continue to play the full 90 minutes, the striker was also seen holding his back against Sheffield United during Sunderland’s last game at the Stadium of Light suggesting an underlying issue. The good news, though, is that after playing a lot of football this campaign, he is likely to be rested against Stoke City in the FA Cup on Saturday.