Youngsters make the trip to Fulham
YOUNGSTERS Bali Mumba, Luke Molyneux, and Elliot Embleton will travel to Fulham with Sunderland today – but boss Chris Coleman has ruled out playing a scratch side now the Black Cats’ relegation fate is sealed.
The trio are making the trip to gain experience and as a reward for their recent performances for the U23s, with 16-year-old Mumba in the squad for the first time.
Coleman has injury concerns over a number of first-teamers and may have to name one or two young players on the bench, but the likes of Joel Asoro, Josh Maja, Ethan Robson, and Embleton are all ahead of midfielder Mumba and 20-year-old striker Molyneux in the pecking order.
“There will be one or two younger boys in the squad with us because we have got one or two missing, and one or two doubts,” said Coleman.
“Bali Mumba is travelling with us, Luke Molyneux, Elliot Embleton. We’ve lose one or two to injury and it will be good experience for them. Ethan Robson will be with us but he has been in and out of course.
“It’s the first time for Bali. He’s happy, I think we’ve got him out of double biology today!”
With Sunderland’s relegation now confirmed there have been calls from some supporters for Coleman to leave out loan players who will not be here next season and field academy products instead, but that ignores the fact that Fulham are involved in a three-way battle with Cardiff City and Aston Villa for the second automatic promotion slot.
Coleman said: “If we get three points, it won’t change our situation but we are still professional football people and our supporters are travelling down to Fulham, so we have a job to do and we have to do it as best we can.
“Fulham are competing with Aston Villa and Cardiff for automatic promotion and we won’t be doing anyone any favours – nobody did us any favours!”
Of the first-team injuries, Aiden McGeady (pictured below) and Bryan Oviedo will both miss out, with Billy Jones also likely to be absent.
But Lamine Kone, who was substituted with a knock against Burton Albion last weekend, Josh Maja – who came through the youth system at Fulham before joining Sunderland three years ago – and Joel Asoro should all be fit.