There was a familiar face in the opposing line-up for any Sunderland fan who attended the Under-21s game against Leeds United. Wearside born Sam Greenwood broke into the Whites' first-team set-up last season and impressed boss Jesse Marsch in the pre-season ahead of the current campaign.
The 20-year-old England youth international looks on course to fulfil that potential claim, made so many years prior. Red and white supporters were left reeling when Greenwood made the reported £500,000 switch from the Academy of Light to join Arsenal in 2018, aged just 16.
It was another reminder of Sunderland's fall from grace and a worrying sign of their inability to hold onto their best upcoming talent. Greenwood would join Leeds United for a reported fee of £1.5million in 2020, further signs - if it were ever needed - that the Black Cats had lost a real gem.
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The versatile forward has made nine senior appearances for the Whites, making his Premier League debut against Arsenal last year. He was part of the Leeds Under-21s side that edged past Graeme Murty's side at the Stadium of Light, yesterday evening, a full circle moment for the Wearsider.
The youngster is very much at a key moment in his career, like many of the Whites' youngsters having outgrown Premier League 2 Division 2, sitting top of the table and unbeaten. A loan move for Greenwoo d away from Elland Road has been talked about online, if he's unable to get the first team football his career needs.
There in it lies one of the problems facing Sunderland and a lesson learned from Greenwood's development. The reported fee of £500,000 is still a relatively heft investment given his young age - measuring up potential to possible transfer fees will always be one of the biggest gambles of any club hierarchy.
But, the transfer fee between Arsenal and Leeds just one-year later, suggests Sunderland missed a trick. That of course, was under different ownership with Kyril Louis-Dreyfus' plan now firmly in action.
The investment into young, upcoming talents from across the UK and Europe is clear to see and the club are hopeful of unearthing the next gem. The fact so many of the first team - nine in total - played against the Whites on Monday night, and were still under the age of 21, is remarkable.
Of course, the plan is to buy players fit for the first team, with the return to the top flight the long-term aim of the club. However, if Sunderland are able to recoup any investment on players who might not make the grade, then that can be deemed a success.
As mentioned earlier, not every player will be able to fulfil their potential and be deemed a success. But the risk to reward ratio is a lot less when investing in young talents, rather than those commanding a hefty fee.
Nobody is expecting Sunderland to unearth the next Erling Haaland - although they can hope - but Will Grigg's torrid tenure on Wearside acts as a reminder of how far the club has come in a short time. It was refreshing to see so many youngsters get important game time for both fitness and development purposes, with Premier League 2 so often looked down on.
There's a stigma surrounding first-team players in the competition as not good enough for the first team, or injured players returning. However, if the club treat it right, they can reap their rewards in the long run.
Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough are three of the high profile academies in the region, but it's been some time since all three have had something to shout about. It's not a slight on the clubs currently in Division 2 of the competition, but the gulf in class between elite level academies in the top tier is quite something.
The Black Cats faithful were able to see some impressive football played at the Stadium of Light on Monday night, just lacking that final ball. If they continue to integrate young players and first team prospects in this manner, then there's no reason we can't see a change of fortune in Premier League 2 Division 2.
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