"Don't see any way back" - 2023 Sunderland AFC signing tipped for January exit | OneFootball

FLW's Sunderland fan pundit has given his view on striker Nazariy Rusyn's future at the club.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

It has been an excellent start to the season for Sunderland in the Championship.

Sunderland endured an incredibly disappointing campaign last season as they finished 16th in the table, but a new era is underway following the appointment of Regis Le Bris, and the Frenchman has made an outstanding start to his tenure, with his side currently among the early front-runners in the second tier.

However, while it has been a positive opening few weeks of the season for the Black Cats, one player who will be disappointed with their lack of game time so far is striker Nazariy Rusyn.

Rusyn made the move to the Stadium of Light from Ukranian side Zorya Luhansk last summer, but he struggled to make an impact in his first season at the club, and all five of his appearances in the league this season have come as a substitute.

The 25-year-old already faced strong competition for places from the likes of Eliezer Mayenda, Wilson Isidor and Ahmed Abdullahi, but Sunderland's decision to sign free agent striker Aaron Connolly last week has raised doubts about his long-term future at the club.

Sunderland fan pundit issues verdict on Nazariy Rusyn's future

FLW's Sunderland fan pundit Eddy Bamber believes the arrival of Connolly is bad news for Rusyn, and he revealed that he expects him to depart in the January transfer window.

"With Aaron Connolly signed now, I don't see any way back in for Nazariy Rusyn, so I think he'll go out either on loan or permanently in January," Eddy said.

"He's just too far down the pecking order now to return.

"I thought he would be gone before we signed Connolly, but now I think that's the final nail in the coffin for Rusyn's time at Sunderland.

"He'll do well somewhere else though, maybe in League One."

Abdullahi is currently sidelined until December, and Connolly will not feature until after the October international break, so Rusyn will be needed for now, but Le Bris admitted he is unsure whether he has a future on Wearside.

"We don't know," Le Bris told The Northern Echo.

"What we want to do is build a good level of competition in every position.

"It was clear that for this position. We have Mayenda, Ahmed is injured at the minute and Naz. So only two players for that position. We needed to recruit another player as soon as possible.

"We have the right level of competition. With this competition, many things can happen. It's not bad competition, it's a team and we will need these three players in good shape and able to play at their best level to perform as a team. It's a good number."

Aaron Connolly arrival will be concerning for Nazariy Rusyn

Le Bris claims that Sunderland signed Connolly to boost their numbers in the forward areas, but while that may be true, it does suggest that he is unconvinced by some of his existing options.

Rusyn has found it tough since his arrival at the Stadium of Light last summer, and despite the Black Cats' striker shortage, he has been limited to substitute appearances in the league so far this season.

Le Bris' comments will not be encouraging for Rusyn, and it seems highly unlikely that he will feature much once Connolly is available and Abdullahi returns to full fitness.

Given Rusyn's strong goalscoring record in his native Ukraine, it is easy to see why Sunderland took a gamble on him, but the move has not worked out for either party, and his departure in January seems inevitable.