Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray has had success when signing a player on loan from Manchester United in the past and could be about to repeat the trick.
According to Chronicle Live, the Black Cats have been boosted in their pursuit of landing United goalkeeper Nathan Bishop on loan for the 2023-24 Championship campaign.
What players have Sunderland signed?
Sunderland got the majority of their transfer business out the way in June, as they brought in attacking midfielder Jobe Bellingham, forward Luis ‘Hemir’ Semedo and centre-backs Nectarios Triantis and Jenson Seelt.
However, Mowbray has made clear he is not finished there in terms of transfers, with another striker top of his wishlist. A new goalkeeper is also wanted, with Bishop being regularly linked with a temporary move to the Stadium of Light.
United are reported to have previously knocked back Sunderland’s loan offer, but the Premier League giants are now reportedly more open to letting the youngster depart as they close in on signing a new number one in Inter Milan’s Andre Onana.
How old is Nathan Bishop?
All four players Sunderland have signed so far have been aged 20 or under. At 23 years old, Bishop is not quite in that category, but he does at least have a few seasons’ worth of English Football League experience under his belt.
Bishop spent two seasons on loan with Southend United in League One, followed by 46 outings as Mansfield Town’s first choice in the 2021-22 League Two campaign.
Should he arrive, Bishop – who measures in at 6 foot 1 – will provide competition for established number one Anthony Patterson. While comparisons between the two are hard to make given they have played in different divisions, Bishop can be pleased with his displays in the fourth tier.
The United academy product conceded 1.13 goals per 90 minutes on average at Mansfield, which compares to 1.20 for Patterson at Sunderland, as per FBref. Bishop boasted a save percentage of 69.8, meanwhile, compared to 68.1 for Patterson.
During his spell at Field Mill, Bishop earned praise from manager Nigel Clough for his “brilliant” performance in a 2-1 victory against Exeter City in which he made a number of saves from point-blank range.
Incredibly, Bishop’s clean sheet percentage of 30.4 in his full season with Mansfield is exactly the same as Patterson recorded last season. The difference in quality in terms of the two leagues has to be factored in, of course, but relatively speaking, the two goalkeepers are very alike.
While some Sunderland supporters may not be overly excited about signing a player who has not played higher than League One level, Mowbray has had huge success in loaning a player from Man United in the past.
Amad Diallo was recruited by Sunderland last year and finished the season as top scorer with 13 goals in 37 regular-season appearances.
So good was Diallo, in fact, The Athletic reports he now looks set to be given a chance to impress during pre-season by United boss Erik ten Hag.
Little wonder, then, that Mowbray has stated he hopes to continue links with United over potential future loan deals.
Should that next signing be Bishop, Sunderland would be signing a young player with a point to prove in the second tier. Sound familiar?