Sunderland have got a huge boost ahead of their Championship meeting with Cardiff City on Sunday, with the club confirming that deadline day acquisition Nazariy Rusyn is now able to play.
The former Ukraine under-21 international joined the Wearside club from Zorya Luhansk at the start of the month, but is yet to make an appearance due to a visa issue.
This season, the striker is expected to lead the line for the Black Cats, and there is optimism that he can reproduce his form at his previous club, when he scored 21 goals in 49 games. He did appear in Zorya’s first two games this season, scoring in a 2-1 loss against Rukh.
It’s been a long wait for manager Tony Mowbray, who appeared pessimistic about the situation earlier this week. “Rusyn still hasn’t got his visa, so he isn’t going to travel for this one,” the former Celtic manager remarked prior to the triumph over Blackburn Rovers.
“Everyone expected it to be here this morning, but we went out to training, came back in, and it is still not here.”
“It’s a little frustrating for him, but he’s willing to do some training.” He needs to catch up because he hasn’t played in three or four weeks.”
The former Dynamo Kiev attacker is now free to join the squad ahead of Sunday’s clash at the Stadium of Light, according to Mowbray’s press conference this afternoon.
“His visa has been approved.” We’ll evaluate him in training and see where he stands. He’s a young man, I say young man, he’s 24.
“The language isn’t great, but he’s a nice kid who looks sharp.” Another question is if he is currently ready to play for our team.”
Sunderland are one of the form teams in the Championship, and their win at Ewood Park on Wednesday put them up to fourth place. After struggling to find the net in the early stages of the season, they are presently unbeaten in five games.
Author’s Opinion
It’s undeniably a benefit for Sunderland to finally have one of their key summer purchases at their disposal, however their current run has taken some of the heat off of him to make an immediate impact. Mowbray can now take his time bringing the player up to speed, especially since the side appears to have found its shooting boots.
Rusyn may need time to adjust to the physicality of the Championship, but he could play a significant role in the Black Cats’ push for promotion this season, as they aim to return to the Premier League for the first time since 2017.
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