Man Utd should be reluctant to sanction summer loan exit to Sunderland: Opinion | OneFootball

Sunderland are interested in striking a loan deal for Manchester United striker Joe Hugill, according to Sunday morning's report from Alan Nixon.

The Black Cats and the Red Devils have already struck up a relationship with Amad Diallo joining the former on loan for the 2022/23 campaign - and the Ivorian has shone consistently.

With this in mind, it's no surprise that the Wearside outfit have been linked with another United player, with Tony Mowbray's men potentially able to strike a reasonably cheap agreement to take Hugill to the Stadium of Light next term.

They aren't guaranteed to have a huge budget considering they don't have parachute payments, so they will need to rebuild their forward department in a smart way, spending as little as they can so they can also address other areas.

More experience in their midfield and another goalkeeping option could be particularly useful, with a defender (potentially depending on Bailey Wright's future) and a replacement for Diallo perhaps required as well.

That just goes to show that they will need to be careful with the money they spend - and recruiting Hugill for a very small amount has to be a tempting deal on the Black Cats' end.

He may not be hugely experienced - but the teenager has recorded nine goals in nine Premier League 2 games this term. That isn't a bad record and it's one that will appeal to a side who need prolific scorers in their team.

Mowbray's side have two options this summer: sell Ross Stewart during the latter stages of the window if he's fit and use that money to bring in some accomplished forwards or keep him and potentially risk losing him for free.

Neither option is great for Hugill because Stewart will either be one of the first names on the teamsheet and ahead of the 19-year-old in the pecking order - or they will have a higher budget to use to buy better-quality forwards - potentially pushing the United man down in the pecking order on Wearside.

Mowbray has placed a lot of trust in youth in the past but he will also want a balance - and with their midfield still lacking experienced options - the 59-year-old could be keen to have an older head up top.

Young Joe Gelhardt has struggled to thrive and although that may be partly due to his stature, his inexperience may also be playing a bit of a part.

It would be difficult to see Hugill starting every week because of his inexperience at a senior level - and it's not as if the Black Cats play two up front - something that would have increased his chances of winning a sufficient amount of game time.

With Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts at their disposal and Mowbray probably wanting three central midfield players, it would be difficult to see them playing two up top anytime soon.

The mentioned duo may be able to operate at wing-back - but the Lads will probably benefit from the duo being in more advanced roles.