Young Sunderland defender Kenton Richardson has sealed a one-month loan move to National League promotion contenders Notts County, the club have confirmed.

The 21-year-old arrived at the Black Cats in the summer from Hartlepool United, having made 43 league appearances for them following his graduation from their academy.

Richardson was not a regular for the National League side last season with just 10 outings to his name, but he was brought into the fold at Sunderland this past summer to strengthen their under-23 squad.

He's made four appearances for that team this season in a variety of defensive positions (per transfermarkt), but he is naturally a right-back, a position where Sunderland's first-team are struggling right now.

This past Saturday's 2-0 victory over Rochdale though saw fellow youngster Ollie Younger called up for a surprise start, despite being a natural centre-back.

That could mean that Lee Johnson sees Richardson as needing more development before he is to be considered for League One action, and he will get game-time at the sleeping giants of the National League in Notts County, with first-choice right-back Richard Brindley sidelined with an injury.

County sit in sixth position after playing 22 games, and are definite contenders to win promotion back into the EFL.

The Verdict

This is a good move for Richardson who can only gain from this particular loan.

He's already got National League experience, but he will have learnt a lot in the six months he's been at Sunderland for and combining that with senior football once again will be a positive.

Richardson is contracted to the Black Cats until 2022, and you imagine he'd need quite a bit more development to be considered by Johnson as an option at right-back in his squad, but he's got age on his side to become a better player.