Sunderland have opted against offering a contract to former Burnley striker Tinashe Chakwana, as reported by the Sunderland Echo.

The 20-year-old has been on trial at the Stadium of Light following his release by the Premier League club. Reports in his native Zimbabwe suggested he was close to tying up a move to the Black Cats.

He has been with them on a temporary basis with a view to a possible move to their Under 23 side, but that now won't be happening and he's free to find a new club.

He impressed coach Elliot Dickman, but that wasn't enough to get him a deal as the squad already had enough options going forward.

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“He came in and, to be fair, he did great,” said Dickman.

“We were pleased but, unfortunately, we’ve decided not to pursue him. But he was a credit to himself and his family."

A desire to have a wider spread of depth has ended up costing the young striker, but Dickman gave him a resounding reference for any other club looking to offer him a trial.

“When he came in he did smashing, but we just felt he wasn’t the type of player we were really looking for. We’ve got quite similar ones in the building.

“We want to look at different options for that position and to help others develop and improve. But he definitely was here and did great, but we didn’t pursue that one.”

It's believed he could now be a target for Championship side Barnsley, another club he's been linked with over the summer.

The Verdict

Even in an academy, there is only a finite number of positions that can be filled. It does sound as though the youngster did well, but just not well enough.

Let's be brutally honest; if he had impressed that much he'd have a contract right now. If he blew them away there wouldn't be a concern about having too many strikers.

I'm sure the kid did okay, but this let down is a gentle one rather than a harsh one. It sounds like he had the right attitude and application, but just not enough 'wow' factor to convince Sunderland to keep him.

After all, if they really did have their attacking options all sewn up, why offer him a trial at all?