Sunderland boss drops major Trey Ogunsuyi transfer hint after hat-trick against Tottenham

Graeme Murty has dropped a transfer hint on Trey Ogunsuyi after his hat-trick against Tottenham’s youth side

Sign up to our Sunderland AFC newsletter

Sign up

Thank you for signing up!

Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Sunderland Echo, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more.

Submitting...

Sunderland U21s lead coach Graeme Murty has delivered his verdict on Trey Ogunsuyi’s short-term future, hinting that the striker could head out on loan at some point.

The 18-year-old, who signed a new contract earlier this summer until 2028, scored a superb hat-trick in Monday night’s 5-3 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in Premier League 2. Ogunsuyi has already made his senior debut under Régis Le Bris, coming off the bench in the FA Cup against Stoke City last season, and also featured in pre-season with the first team.

Murty admitted that Sunderland have plenty of interest in the powerful forward, but stressed the club will carefully decide the right next step in his development. “What we tend to do we’ll sit together as a staff, we’ll sit with the first team, and we’ll look at each player’s individual journey.”

Murty added on the promising striker after his three goals vs Spurs: “And we make sure that we support that in what way we think is best to increase their learning at that particular time, particularly in the areas that we perceive that he needs. If we perceive that staying here and playing against that level of opponent every week is the thing that he needs, then he might do that alongside the training with the first team.

“If we think he’d be better served by playing against men and being challenged in a different department, then we’ll go and facilitate that because we have no shortage of suitors for the players, we have no shortage of support that we can give to the players and we just have to determine what the journey is going to look like for him. But like I said, he’s our player for now, for two years in the future, five years in the future, we’ve still got to work towards what he might become rather than what he’s looking like right now.”

The best is still to come from Trey Ogunsuyi

Murty was full of praise for Ogunsuyi’s attributes, suggesting the best is yet to come from the teenager. “He’s really dynamic, he’s extremely powerful. Once we increase his understanding of his attributes, once we increase his understanding of how to deploy his talents, he’s going to be really, really effective. I don’t think you’ve seen the best of him, I don’t think you’ve even glimpsed his ceiling yet.”

The U21s lead coach said the striker is thriving in the environment Sunderland have created, but challenged him to remain open-minded and focused on his development. “So what we’re seeing from him, or what we need to see from him, is a really open mindset, a real determination to continue to improve.

“And we believe we’ve created a really good environment that enables his learning, that supports his learning, but also provides a really, really good challenge. I thought the challenge tonight was something that stimulated him; you could see that he liked it, he enjoyed playing against good opponents.”

The Echo has launched a new WhatsApp SAFC Channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates direct to your phone. Simply click this link to join our SAFC WhatsApp channel.

Despite Ogunsuyi’s hat-trick, Murty admitted Sunderland should have been more clinical as a team in their defeat to Spurs. “I thought he came out on top, and I think he can be really, really upset that maybe he didn’t get a couple more. But I also think that the players alongside him need to show a bit more of a clinical, ruthless edge when we get into really good opposition areas, as we did multiple times throughout the game. We just were a bit softer in our finishing and training.”

Ogunsuyi’s display and Murty’s comments underline why the young striker has become one of the most talked-about talents in Sunderland’s academy – and why his next step, whether on Wearside or elsewhere on loan, will be watched closely.