Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has agreed to let his 18-year-old forward Ben Woodburn leave on loan to Championship side Sunderland for the rest of the season, as Black Cats manager Chris Coleman is looking to strengthen his squad in order to get his side above the relegation zone. (Daily Mail)
Sunderland are currently sitting at the bottom of the Championship table with just 22 points from 26 fixtures. And in order to help his side bounce back, Sunderland boss Coleman is looking to bring Woodburn and is happily willing to give the 18-year-old as much game-time as possible to continue his development.
Woodburn is rated highly by the Liverpool faithful but the fact that he has hardly been offered regular football has been a stumbling block in his progress. The 18-year-old has only made one appearance for the Reds this season, which came in the 2-0 defeat at the hands of Leicester City in the Carabao Cup in September.
However, as things stand for Jurgen Klopp, he has already stated that he is in no rush sanction any loan deals as he wants to keep his squad up and running for the rest of the season and for all right reasons. But the case of Ben Woodburn has proved to be an exception as Klopp has agreed to sanction a loan move, which will no doubt help Sunderland in their fight to avoid relegation.
Coleman has insisted he wants players, or youngsters we should say, who are talented and keen on proving themselves, rather than having a player with immense experience but with no desire to fight.
“It’s all about hunger,” Coleman said, per the Daily Mail. “You can have £50million in the bank and 500 games under your belt, but if you’ve lost your appetite then you can’t come here or shouldn’t be here.
“Give me an 18, 19, 20-year-old who is climbing with a bit of fight and fire in his belly, I’ll take that all day long. I’ve seen some players who have been around the block kidding themselves, thinking they still have that bite, that burning desire, but maybe they’ve lost it a little bit.
“Finance has softened them up. Maybe they’ve got a perception of themselves that is actually not true. But I don’t care, 17? 18? If you’re ready and capable, come here.”
Do you think the loan move is the right thing for Woodburn?
