Shrewsbury Town manager Michael Appleton was spotted at Eppleton watching Sunderland U21s vs Tottenham
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There was an intriguing figure in the stands as Sunderland U21s got their Premier League 2 campaign underway against Tottenham Hotspur – Shrewsbury Town manager Michael Appleton.
The 49-year-old, who took charge of the League Two side last March, was in attendance at Eppleton Colliery Welfare, sparking speculation over a potential scouting mission.
Appleton has built a reputation for developing young players during his spells at Oxford United, Lincoln City and Blackpool, and his presence at Sunderland’s academy base will inevitably fuel talk of possible loan interest in some of the Black Cats and Spurs prospects.
Sunderland’s U21s squad has been heavily involved in the loan market in recent seasons, with the club keen to find the right opportunities for emerging talent. With the likes of Dan Neil and Anthony Patterson previously gaining senior minutes in the EFL, Appleton’s appearance will no doubt raise eyebrows about whether he has his eye on a similar deal.
The game itself marked the young Black Cats’ return to PL2 action after their dramatic comeback win over Scunthorpe in the National League Trophy last week. Murty’s side named a strong XI, including Jenson Jones, Oli Bainbridge, Marshall Burke, Ian Poveda and Trey Ogunsuyi, as they looked to make a positive start to the regular season.
Whether Appleton’s visit was purely to watch Sunderland or Tottenham to open the door to future moves remains to be seen – but his arrival at Eppleton certainly added an extra layer of intrigue to Sunderland’s first league outing.
What did Régis Le Bris say after Sunderland vs West Ham?
Head coach Régis Le Bris hailed Sunderland’s players after their 3-0 victory over West Ham United but warned that humility and togetherness must remain central to their Premier League campaign.
The Black Cats returned to the top flight in style on Saturday, with second-half goals from Eliezer Mayenda, Dan Ballard and Wilson Isidor sealing their first Premier League win in over eight years.
Le Bris was delighted with the way his players responded to half-time instructions after a challenging first half and praised their ability to execute the gameplan. He also revealed that captain Granit Xhaka addressed the squad post-match to stress the importance of staying united.
“I'm happy for the fans and the players and the club,” Le Bris said. “We had different phases of pre-season and we spoke about the layers we needed to add. It was obvious that it starts from the foundations – we showed that the team is working well.
He added: “They were hard to beat in a mid to low block. The first half was a bit more difficult but during the second half we felt we could get opportunities through regains in the middle and that we could score through counter attacks.
“We didn't change many important things at half time. We spoke a bit about their goalkeeper restarts and our high press, we went for man for man and they found two or three opportunities with long balls. So it was really important to be strong in duels. We made just two or three little decisions, and it made a difference.”
Le Bris was also keen to highlight that Sunderland’s three goals came from players who were already at the club last season, despite a summer of heavy recruitment. “It's really important for two reasons, they showed they can step up [first and foremost],” he said.
“We'll see later, but today it was the case. And it's really important because they keep the identity of the club and the way we worked last season. We built this strength about togetherness, the way we work as a team. The players worked well as a team and they showed that again today.”
The Frenchman added that while the opening-day victory was a proud moment for everyone connected to the club, Sunderland would remain focused on the long campaign ahead.