"Showed no signs he will ever make it" - Sunderland urged to cut their losses with 2023 signing | OneFootball

FLW spoke to our resident Sunderland pundit to get his thoughts on the potential departure of Nazariy Rusyn.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Regis Le Bris' start to life as Sunderland head coach has gotten off to a strong start, with three league victories and a trio of clean sheets to match.

However, one man has had to accept a lessened role, with last year's summer signing Nazariy Rusyn only featuring off the bench so far this year.

This comes at a time when Spanish striker Eliezer Mayenda has hit the ground running, already matching the two goals the Ukrainian scored throughout the entire 2023-24 campaign.

On top of this, the Black Cats are on the verge of adding two new attacking additions to their squad, with Wilson Isidor already arrived and Roko Šimić set to move to the North East from Zenit St Petersburg and Red Bull Salzburg respectively.

Where this leaves Rusyn is unclear, but the latest news coming out of the Stadium of Light suggests he will be available for loan.

In an interview, Le Bris admitted that he would be open to a temporary move away for Rusyn as gametime may become difficult if the two new arrivals are confirmed.

The former Zorya Luhansk striker could have played his last game this season for Sunderland then, and getting his career back on track elsewhere may be a smart move.

Sunderland told to consider getting rid of Nazariy Rusyn permanently

Believed to have been signed for somewhere in the region of €3 million (£2.5 million), Sunderland fans would have expected much more from the 25-year-old following his arrival last year.

And one of FLW's Sunderland fan pundits, Eddy Bamber, thinks that the club should try to cash in on Rusyn instead of letting him depart temporarily.

"I think he is going to end up another Jay Matete, where we loan him out every season until his contract finally expires," Eddy said when speaking to Football League World.

"The difference is that Matete was signed in League One, and he did a decent enough job until we got promoted.

"Rusyn has done nothing. He's showed no signs he will ever make it for Sunderland.

"He doesn't seem to work up-top on his own or playing on the left, he goes missing in games, and he hasn't adapted to the English game at all.

"I would just take the financial hit and offload him permanently, rather than loan him out."

Nazariy Rusyn has showed no signs of improvement since Sunderland arrival

It's hard to disagree with Eddy on this one, as the Mackems faithful have seemingly lost trust that Rusyn can make an impact for the club.

Looking at his career, it's difficult to understand how they ever expected him to be prolific. In eight first-team seasons, the striker has only scored more than 10 goals once, and he appears to struggle physically with the demands of English football.

For this reason, cutting ties with the Ukrainian may just be the sensible option. Whilst he still has a further three years on his contract, his value is only going to diminish, so selling him now would at least see the Black Cats recuperate some of that fee.

If he stays, he may have to accept being a fourth-choice striker, as it's unlikely the new arrivals will entertain the idea of limited minutes. For this reason, he and the club should strive for his permanent departure and forget about a disappointing year.