Josh Maja is one of the most in-demand strikers in English football at the moment, and his future at Sunderland is seemingly up in the air. 

It's no surprise to see Maja attracting interest from high level clubs, as he already has 14 goals to his name for the Black Cats this season, as Jack Ross' side challenge for promotion.

In an exclusive interview with FLW's Jacob Potter, former Sunderland defender, Danny Higginbotham feels that Maja should stay with Sunderland for the rest of this season if he cares about developing at such a young age.

"When you’re a young player and there’s a lot of talk about you leaving away from the club that you’re at, it’s all about timing."

"He’s only 20 years old so he’s got plenty of time on his side so I wouldn’t be in a rush to move elsewhere.

"Sunderland are on a really good journey and it would be great if Sunderland got promoted this season to the Championship, and Maja could showcase his talent at a higher level with Jack Ross’ side."

The Sky Sports pundit also felt that Sunderland have a bright future ahead of them, and that Maja could play a starring role in their future as they look to find a way back into the Premier League after suffering back-to-back relegations in the last two seasons.

"He’s quite new to the seniors and the first-team football side of things and I think he should stay put with Sunderland.

"He’s at a huge football club that have inspirations of getting back to the Championship and I would imagine they’ll want to get back in the Premier League as well."

This speculation is sure to rumble on with Maja's future seemingly no closer to being resolved anytime soon.

Jack Ross will be hoping he can remain focused with matters on the pitch though for the time being, with Sunderland travelling to face Scunthorpe this weekend.