With time ticking, Sunderland need to call it quits with 29-year-old: Opinion | OneFootball

During the previous summer transfer window, Sunderland opted to engage in a great deal of activity.

As well as securing the services of the likes of Amad Diallo, Dan Ballard and Jewison Bennette, the Black Cats also parted ways with a number of individuals.

One of the players who made a temporary exit from the Stadium of Light was Carl Winchester.

After helping Sunderland achieve promotion to the Championship by featuring on 40 occasions in the third-tier, Winchester was loaned out to Shrewsbury Town.

This particular call was made to give the Northern Ireland international the opportunity to feature regularly at senior level in the current term as he was only utilised on one occasion in Sunderland's opening eight games of the campaign.

Deployed predominantly in a defensive midfield role by Shrewsbury boss Steve Cotterill, Winchester made his 27th league appearance of the season in last Saturday's meeting with Derby County.

When Winchester returns to Sunderland following the expiry of his loan spell, the Championship outfit will need to make a decision regarding his future.

With the 29-year-old's contract set to expire this summer, the Black Cats ought to call time on his spell at the club.

Black Cats boss Tony Mowbray had the chance to recall him from his loan stint in January.

However, instead of bringing Winchester back, Mowbray decided instead to strengthen his options in this aforementioned position by signing Pierre Ekwah.

This particular bit of business suggests that Winchester may not necessarily be a part of Sunderland's plans for the upcoming seasons.

Furthermore, when you consider that the former Forest Green Rovers man has yet to make an appearance in the Championship during his career, he simply may not be capable of adapting to life in this division.

Although Winchester does offer some versatility due to the fact that he is able to operate in the right-back position, he is unlikely to force his way ahead of Trai Hume and Lynden Gooch in the pecking order.

Hume is currently averaging a respectable WhoScored match rating of 6.81 in the Championship while Gooch has made 19 appearances for Sunderland at this level in the current campaign.

In contrast, Winchester is only averaging a rating of 6.44 in the third-tier as he struggled with his consistency in a Shrewsbury shirt.

A permanent departure from Sunderland for Winchester could prove to be beneficial for both parties.

The Black Cats could potentially use the money that will be freed up from the wage budget as a result of this exit to re-invest in their squad.

As for Winchester, he could go on to seal a switch to a team in League One or League Two who will be able to provide him with a sufficient amount of game-time in the 2023/24 season.