Sunderland manager Lee Johnson has revealed that defender Morgan Feeney will leave the club when his contract expires later this month.

Centre back Feeney arrived in the summer from Premier League side Everton as a player with high potential, having captained the Toffees' under-23 side last season.

Despite that, he was not offered a new deal by the Blues and took the chance to make the switch to the Black Cats, with fans expectant that he'd be figuring in the first team squad.

But a hamstring injury suffered in September ruined his chances of impressing then-manager Phil Parkinson.

 

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He did return to action by playing 45 minutes in an under-23 clash against Norwich City a few weeks ago, but he won't be getting the opportunity to show what he can do to new boss Johnson.

With interest from Scottish clubs and others in the Football League, Feeney will be playing his football elsewhere from next month.

"We’ve had a good chat with Morgan," Johnson admitted to the Sunderland Echo.

"We feel with the strength in depth we’ve got in that position, he’s at a time where he needs to find an identity - and he will because he’s a good player and an unbelievable lad.

The Verdict

It's a shame that Feeney was unable to get a chance at the Stadium of Light as he seemed to possess some good qualities that could've come in handy.

But with the likes of Bailey Wright, Jordan Willis, Tom Flanagan and Dion Sanderson in-front of him, it wouldn't be wise to hinder his development when they could strengthen elsewhere.

Sunderland fans will be hoping that Feeney doesn't pop up at another League One club though, where he could potentially come back to haunt them down the line as they seek promotion back to the Championship.