Despite Sunderland’s late defeat at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, there were plenty of positives to take on board. One of which being American youngster Lynden Gooch, who made his full Premier League debut despite been a surprising selection beforehand by manager David Moyes.
Up against a keep-ball Pep Guardiola side, his job on the day was simple, to catch the blues on the counter attack. A tactic commonly used by many sides against the Spaniard’s old clubs like Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Gooch performed it admirably and won our man of the match award this weekend.
One key element which was highlighted throughout Lynden’s performance was his bursts of pace whenever receiving the ball on the flanks. With the ongoing transfer debate of DeAndre Yedlin, the questions will be asked whether the attacking full-back who can also play midfield is the man to slot into Yedlins role that remains unfilled from the start of this season.
YouTube: Lynden Gooch Highlights – 2016 Doncaster Rovers Loan (Sunderland)
One thing for sure is that the American will feel that his recent loan spells with Doncaster Rovers and Gateshead have developed him enough to show off his talent if called upon. He will also hope that he can follow in the same footsteps as fellow countryman DeAndre Yedlin after he talked highly of him after his arrival last summer. After earning 4 caps for the USA under-20 national side, he will next be looking if he can get a breakthrough in the senior side, joining up with experienced Premier League stars like Clint Dempsey, Geoff Cameron and of course DeAndre Yedlin himself.
