Teen star Mumba flying high after landing seat on plane
Sunderland youngster Bali Mumba will fly out to Portugal with Sunderland’s first-team squad tomorrow for their preseason training camp after impressing in training.
The 16-year-old made his debut for the club in the final game of the season, as a late sub in the 3-0 win over Wolves.
He will be joined in Portugal by fellow Academy graduates Denver Hume, Elliot Embleton and Andrew Nelson, although Luke Molyneux will stay on Wearside after picking up a knock in training .
Boss Jack Ross said: “There’s different ages of course – Bali is just 16 – so particularly for him it’s an unbelievable experience for him at that age, but he is a mature lad to be fair.
“There is a duty of care aspect to it as well, but equally he’s only involved because we think he’s a good player. He is a kid and he’s got a long way to go in terms of his development, but it’s a brilliant experience for him to get under his belt.”
Hume, Embleton, Mumba and Molyneux all made their debuts last season, along with Ethan Robson, who established himself in the first-team set-up
With the squad depleted by absences, Ross – who became renowned for bringing through youngsters at St Mirren – says there is a big chance for the Academy graduates to shine.
He said: “Sometimes in football it is ability and character you need, but sometimes there’s things that can fall in your favour due to circumstance and timing. I’ve been there and seen that with younger players at my previous clubs.
They’ve got an opportunity through circumstance and graft, and for these guys now there is an opportunity for them as they can probably see where we are numbers-wise.”