Graeme Murty reckons Trey Ogunsuyi has a lot more to give as he learns his trade at Sunderland AFC. The claim comes after Liverpool were linked with the talented teenager.
The U21s lead coach watched the 18-year-old striker score a hat-trick in the recent 3-3 draw with Southampton. And he believes he is on the right track but there is much work for the coaching staff to do to see him fulfil his obvious potential.
Ogunsuyi’s raw ability has seen Premier League leaders Liverpool scout the player as they keep tabs on some of the best young talents outside of the Premier League.
“He has got really good aspects to his game,” said Murty. “He’s got good capacity and capabilities. Sometimes he encapsulates that capacity of being really high and really low, within moments of one another.
“But when you try and look at a young player we don’t need to see where he is right now. We, as developers of people, have to have a long-term plan for him.
“So his ceiling that we will try and access, is far away from where he is right now. We need to retain that coachability, give him good detail and harness what he’s really good at and make it elite. So if we can do that and service him in the correct manner then he has got loads and loads of growth to come. And then I think it’s up to him how far he wants to push.”
Ogunsuyi has benefited from being around the likes of first team stars Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda. While they are more rounded and experienced, the striker can learn about getting the basics right as a frontman, as well as the goalscoring threat.
Murty added: “I think what we are seeing from him is a young man who struggles to put everything into action because he’s trying to do lots and lots. What I would like to see from him is solid fundamentals allied to the flashes that Wilson [Isisdor] shows and Eli [Mayenda] shows.
“If we can get him to do that and get him to understand more of the fundamental side of the game then his innate stuff and his more outstanding moments will become more impactful. Because there won’t be such a variance in his game.
“When we do that with our first-team players, what we want our forwards to be is creative, to be explosive and be a goal threat but we also want them to be reliable and we want to make sure his fundamentals are receiving the highest standard that our managers can give him.
“So he is seen as a viable prospect at the top of the pitch. That is his target and our target and long may the open and inquisitive mindset he has remain.”
Ogunsuyi has made one first team appearance for Sunderland this season, coming off the bench for his debut against Stoke City in the FA Cup in January.
A Belgium youth international, Ogunsuyi signed his first professional contract in January 2024 and made his U21s debut at just 17.
View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/sunderland-striker-trey-ogunsuyi-told-31090471
