Sunderland are sitting in an encouraging position in the League One promotion race, with Jack Ross looking to guide the club to an instant return to the second tier of English football.  

It’s been a dark few years for Sunderland, who suffered back-to-back relegations, which has left them in League One.

However, Saturday’s 2-0 win over Plymouth Argyle was Sunderland’s fifth in a row, which moved them into second and helped maintain a three point gap to leaders, Portsmouth.

Whilst the weekend’s result was impressive, worrying news emerged on Sunday, with Alan Nixon reporting that Sheffield United were keen on George Honeyman, Sunderland’s captain.

The 24-year-old has made 15 appearances in the league this season, which have brought two goals and two assists.

Here at FLW, we take a look at THREE reasons why Sunderland must retain the service of Honeyman despite the interest from Sheffield United…

Stewart Donald has done a fantastic job at Sunderland since he took the club over, with the Black Cats seemingly on the rise under his ownership.

However, selling your captain in January, whilst promotion is the aim, doesn’t send out the right message to your club’s supporters.

Sunderland’s fanbase is loyal but seeing Honeyman depart would upset a few. It’d be a statement rebuffing Sheffield United’s approach.

The likes of Josh Maja and Aiden McGeady are probably going to be more important to Sunderland’s promotion push this season, but it would be foolish to overlook Honeyman’s contribution.

One thing Sunderland won’t want in January will be major disruption, which Honeyman’s exit would cause.

Keeping him on board limits the risk of Sunderland's season collapsing.

At 24, Honeyman has much room for improvement, with his best years still ahead of him.

Sunderland will want to benefit from Honeyman’s peak years, which are now on the horizon.

A sale in January would mean someone else would be benefitting, which would be a bitter pill to swallow for many at the Stadium of Light.

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