Sunderland turn to ex-Stoke City man as Man United poised to gazump Black Cats for goalkeeper | OneFootball

Sunderland's chase of Robbie Cook is under pressure with Manchester United determining their interest in him, according to reports.

Sunderland's attempts to sign 17-year-old Robbie Cook are coming under increasing pressure, with Manchester United offering the goalkeeper a chance to join their academy.

This is according to Alan Nixon via his Patreon page, who has claimed that the young Aussie teenager is on the radar of the Red Devils.

This development could hinder Sunderland's search to add to their goalkeeper department, with their current number one, Anthony Patterson, subject to interest from other clubs.

Most recently, Southampton have been linked with the 24-year-old, but a deal does not seem imminent at this stage.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding Patterson's future, if Cook joined Sunderland it would be unlikely that he would go straight into the first-team. Instead, he would have to bide his time in the youth setup and on the bench before possibly being given the opportunity to shine.

But the pathway that the Black Cats can offer is enticing, with Patterson proving that it is possible to go from academy prodigy to starting keeper in just a matter of months.

All this hope may prove meaningless though, with a club of Man United's stature having some of the best pulling power in the world.

Robbie Cook could be set to snub Sunderland for Manchester United

As stated above, it is United who are in pole position to sign Cook with the Premier League giants offering him an opportunity to play at Old Trafford.

The 17-year-old has been training with the Black Cats since they flew him over from Australia a few weeks ago for preliminary talks about a possible contract.

The deal had seemed to be going fine with Sunderland sending Nathan Bishop out on loan to Wycombe Wanderers to make room for Cook in the squad. But, the Red Devils have seemingly been keeping tabs on the former Perth Glory man and have asked him this week to join their academy.

For Cook, this will be a big decision with the 17-year-old having to decipher whether he wants to join a club that has promoted youth in recent years or one that gives very limited chances to those leaving their academy, despite their reputation.

Sunderland turn attention to ex-Stoke City goalkeeper

As Sunderland are set to miss out on Cook, they have decided to turn their attention elsewhere, and Nixon has reported that they have offered former Stoke City keeper Blondy Nna Noukeu a trial.

Noukeu was recently released by the Potters after spending five years at the bet365 Stadium, where he was unable to make a first-team appearance.

Having had short loan spells at Crawley Town and most recently Southend United, the Cameroonian will be hoping that Sunderland is where his career kicks off and that he can impress Regis Le Bris enough to be offered a spot at the Stadium of Light.

At 22 years of age, Noukeu has plenty of years ahead of him, and you would expect his wage demands to be minimal compared to regular first-team players.

Whilst a deal for Noekeu may not be as appetising as signing Cook, he is a strong second candidate who could make a real impression on Sunderland fans for years to come.