Sunderland have announced their retained list for next season following the club's League One play-off final defeat to Charlton Athletic.

The result means the Black Cats will spend a second season in the third tier, and they have started preparing by releasing a total of four players from their contracts.

Adam Matthews, Luke Molyneux, Max Stryjek and Robbin Ruiter have all departed the Stadium of Light following the expiration of their contracts.

Matthews has made over 50 appearances for Sunderland since joining the club in 2015, while Ruiter featured 26 times during the two seasons he spent in the north-east.

Both players did not feature as much as they would have liked last season, with Matthews failing to cement his place in the side over the full campaign and Ruiter featuring just once in League One throughout the season.

Meanwhile, Molyneux and Stryjk are both products of Sunderland's academy, and both leave having failed to make a significant mark in the first team.

A selection of players from the club's Under-23 have also been released, with Max Johnstone, Connor Shields and Alex Storey all saying their goodbyes as well.

The Verdict

Sunderland will have needed to move on some first-team players in order to make room in the squad and wage budget for any potential incomings.

It's been rumoured for a while, but I'm slightly surprised to see Matthews released as he delivered some solid performances for the Black Cats last season, despite never fully establishing himself in the side.

However, I think Sunderland fans will be reasonably happy with this on the whole, but with this now confirmed, the club needs to fully focus their efforts on a player recruitment drive.