Galloway on brink after Sunderland nightmare

Sport
A season-long loan spell at Sunderland was perhaps one of the final chances for Brendan Galloway to impress parent club Everton.

SUNDERLAND — A season-long loan spell at Sunderland was perhaps one of the final chances for Brendan Galloway to impress parent club Everton.

The 21-year-old Zimbabwe-born left-back featured regularly during Roberto Martinez’s ill-fated final season in charge at Goodison Park but has not been given an opportunity to impress since Ronald Koeman took over at the club.

And Galloway’s spell with Championship strugglers Sunderland has done nothing to aid the youngster’s reputation after a similarly disappointing time at West Brom last season.

Galloway did not feature in a single Premier League game after giving away a penalty against West Ham in October 2016 and, in the end, his lack of game time under Tony Pulis meant his loan spell was cut short.

The Harare-born young defender however insisted that his miserable season at West Bromwich Albion had only made him stronger as he looked to reignite his career with a loan spell at Sunderland.

And history appears to be repeating itself in the North East. Galloway featured regularly at the start of the season but one poor performance in a 2-0 home defeat to Leeds in August, in which he was subbed off just before the hour, appears to have lost him the trust of manager Simon Grayson.

Galloway has only started one Championship game and his most recent outing was a Checkatrade trophy defeat to Doncaster Rovers as part of Sunderland’s Under-23 side.

In a further blow to Galloway’s hopes of a long-term future at Everton, The Mail is reporting that The Toffees have identified exciting Monaco left-back Ruben Vinagre as potential competition for Leighton Baines.

Vinagre has shone during a loan spell with Wolves in the Championship and, at 18, fits Everton’s recent policy of buying stars of tomorrow to ensure a bright future at Goodison Park. — Daily Mail