Maja wants to assert his ‘authority’ upon return
JOSH MAJA says he wants to ‘stamp his authority’ on Sunderland’s first team, and he expects to be in a position to do that sooner rather than later. The Black Cats’ relegation from the Premier League always looked a good opportunity for the 18-year-old attacking player to make his mark in senior football. Maja impressed in pre-season, scoring four times, only to injure his knee in July. He returned from surgery for the under-23s at Arsenal in October, but suffered a setback in the warm-up to their next game, against Everton five days later. “It has been very frustrating because of how well I did in pre-season,” Maja told the club’s official website.
“I put a lot of work in over pre-season, I worked hard but hopefully I can return to full fitness and get a chance in the first team.”
Academy manager Elliott Dickman revealed on Wednesday Maja is close to playing again, and he is determined to take his chance to impress Sunderland’s new manager, who should be in place by then.
“I am feeling better, each day I feel stronger and my knee is feeling much better so hopefully it won’t be too long now before I can get some game-time,” said Maja.
“It is a big opportunity, but I need to take it.
“I want to stamp my authority in the first team and get back to how I was playing in pre-season because I was scoring goals and playing well.
“I need to prove the quality I have again and again, hopefully I can get myself on the team-sheet when I am back.”
Joel Asoro went to this summer’s European Under-21 Championships with Sweden as a 17-year-old but failed to convince manager Simon Grayson. The feeling was that he was more impressed with Maja, but it was never put to the test.
With David Moyes, a manager with a track record of bringing through young talent, wary of exposing him too early to the heat of a relegation battle, Maja has only played 21 minutes of first-team football to date – in the League Cup at Queens Park Rangers last season – but is highly thought of at the club and beyond.
He played youth football for Crystal Palace, Fulham and Manchester City before moving to the Academy of Light.
In March Maja was asked to train with the Nigeria senior squad. Maja was born in Lewisham, and the Super Eagles were obviously conscious of trying to stake a claim for him early on.
Maja can play as an attacking midfielder, as an out-and-out striker, or wide, as he often did in pre-season.