Bali will give us undoubted real quality and athleticism, says Fenton
Sunderland youngster Bali Mumba has joined South Shields on his first loan away from the club.
The 18-year-old has joined the Mariners until the end of the season and could make his debut against Bamber Bridge this Saturday.
The midfielder has long been considered one of the brightest talents in the Black Cats academy, and made his senior debut against Wolverhampton
Wanderers on Sunderland’s final day in the Championship in May 2018.
After making a major impression on then-new manager Jack Ross in the following pre-season, he started against Charlton Athletic on the opening day of the following campaign.
But he went on to make just three more appearances in League One, as well as two each in the FA Cup and Football
League Trophy (EFL Trophy).
He has found senior action even harder to come by this season and has been limited to just one appearance against Grimsby Town in the EFL Trophy.
He has not made an appearance under Phil Parkinson, who replaced Ross last October.
But South Shields jointmanager Graham Fenton has welcomed Mumba to Mariners Park, and believes the move will be mutually beneficial to both clubs and player.
He said: “We're delighted to have someone of Bali's calibre joining us for the final push in the league season.
"He is very highly-regarded at Sunderland, having been regularly involved in the first-team squad over the last two years, and we'd like to thank all the members of staff at Sunderland who have enabled this to happen.
"Bali will give us undoubted real quality and athleticism, and I'm sure he will gain massively from the experience with us across the two-month period.
"We're looking forward to getting him started."
South Shields currently sit top of the BetVictor Northern Premier League ahead of the final games of the season.
A statement from the Black Cats read: “Sunderland AFC can confirm that Bali Mumba has joined Northern Premier League Premier Division side South Shields on loan.
“The 18-year-old joins the Mariners on a deal until th e end of the season.
“Everyone at Sunderland AFC would like to wish Bali the best of luck during his loan spell.”