The Shields Gazette writes of how close Vito Mannone was to leaving the club in January following 12 months of a major spot on the sidelines.
The Italian keeper was having limited playing time when Romanian Costel Pantilimon was holding the first team spot for the majority of last season and this one as well, until his departure to league rivals Watford, where the spot was left open for the former Arsenal stopper to pick up where he left off.
Allardyce put his faith in the 27-year-old for the final two games of 2015 following disappointing showings from Pantilimon, and decided to off-load the latter in order to free up their wage budgets.
He now holds the number 1 spot ahead of academy product Jordan Pickford and is expected to hold that spot for the rest of the season, especially after a decent display in their 2-2 draw at Anfield over the weekend, the two goals of which Vito could not have really stopped. Mannone has said:
It was a massive statement of faith (from Allardyce). I always showed him since he came in what I could do. I slowly got my confidence back. I didn’t have an easy year with other managers. But since he’s come in, he’s been direct and honest with me. We had a chat when I was not playing and he said I was the No 1. He trusted me.
Mannone signed for the Black Cats for an undisclosed fee back in 2013, and in his first season was named the player of the year by the supporters and the club, playing the majority of the season.
