Nightmare spell for forgotten Sunderland man may be coming to an end | OneFootball

The young full-back has been the subject of transfer interest from Ukraine.

Sunderland wide-man Jewison Bennette may still be gearing up for an exit this season, despite a late deadline day near miss.

The 20-year-old has struggled since arriving at the Stadium of Light from Costa Rican side Herediano in 2022, making just 21 senior appearances for the club in two and a half years.

Bennette was close to departing the promotion challenging Black Cats for an opportunity in League One with Charlton Athletic this past January, but a move never materialised.

However, a move away may still be on the cards for the young Costa Rica international, as LZN Cherkasy is negotiating a deal to bring Bennette to Ukraine.

Jewison Bennette may be on the move after all

Kevin Jimenez, who broke the news that Bennette was signing for Sunderland in 2022, has written on X that: "Ukraine's LNZ is interested in Jewison Bennette, negotiations ongoing."

And, with the winter transfer window in Ukraine not shutting until March 11th, there is still plenty of time for LNZ Cherkasy, who currently sit ninth in the Ukrainian Premier League, to secure the deal.

A move may prove beneficial to Bennette after he was linked with a move away to a fellow English side in the recent January transfer window.

The Sunderland Echo reported that Charlton were in for him on deadline day, but missed out after they ran out of time to conclude the deal, not signing the relevant papers by the 11pm curfew.

With Bennette limited almost exclusively to U21 appearances this season, a move away could be vital for the 20-year-old to truly kickstart his career, as he showed real promise at the start of his Sunderland tenure.

It hasn't worked out for Bennette at Sunderland

Jewison Bennette has been deemed surplus to requirements by Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris, not including him in a single Championship squad this season.

The only appearance Bennette has made under the current Sunderland boss was a nine-minute cameo in their Carabao Cup First Round loss at Preston North End in August.

Additionally, his only Championship appearance since his 2022/23 debut season came in the Black Cats' 5-0 win over Southampton, but Bennette did assist Chris Rigg's first senior league goal late on in that one.

He scored his first league goal for Sunderland in only his second league game too, bagging from the bench in a 2-2 draw against Watford.

It's these flashes of quality which show that, whilst still at 20 years old, Bennette does have the ability to improve under the right guidance.

It's most likely that this won't happen at Sunderland, and perhaps a move to Ukrainian side LNZ and regular football could be what the Costa Rican needs to kick on.