Sunderland youngster Rees Greenwood could be a name that many in the footballing world will be talking about in the near future. The 20-year-old has picked up the Barclays Under-21 Premier League Player of the Month award for February and was selected for the England Under-20 squad for the first time.
Greenwood, who can play as both a forward and a midfielder but sees himself more as a tricky winger who runs at players and creates for the team, has recently penned a new deal at the Stadium of Light which will keep him there until at least 2018. If he continues his development, the club will be keen to keep him for much longer.
Born in Winlaton, Gateshead, he joined Sunderland at the age of eight and has risen through the ranks at the Stadium of Light. After impressing for the Under 18s, Greenwood made the step up to the Under-21 side with ease, earning rave reviews from those at the club and also from ex-Sunderland players.
His skill and direct play going forward has caught the eye of many, including former Black Cats left-back and captain Mickey Gray. He had this to say after the Under-21 side defeated Everton recently: “Very impressed with Rees Greenwood tonight.The future’s bright. In my opinion Greenwood has a more polished game than Duncan Watmore and deserves a chance.. Like him a lot.”
Greenwood’s form, which has helped Sunderland to top the Barclays Under-21 Premier League Division 1 table, has not gone unnoticed further afield with the talented youngster being awarded the latest Player of the Month award after a string of impressive displays which included two assists against both Middlesbrough and Liverpool. Sunderland’s U21 manager Andy Welsh has been impressed with Greenwood but is keen to see him develop further: “Rees is developing all of the time and he has shown good quality recently and against Everton he showed great quality for the goals he set-up. He deserves his accolade of player of the month for the U21 Premier League and now we are hoping to see him continue develop at the same rate he is now.”
Another reward was soon to follow for the youngster as he earned his first call up to the England Under-20 squad for the game against Canada on Sunday 27th March. His international career has, however, started slightly earlier than expected as he came off the bench in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Canada on Friday 25th March. He helped England to a 4-1 victory and also created a goal to get his Three Lions career off to a successful start.
Alongside the likes of Duncan Watmore, who has moved up to the first team, and Lynden Gooch who has joined Doncaster Rovers until the end of the season, Greenwood has been given his chance to shine. It’s a chance he has taken with both hands and he is now seen as a key member of a successful Black Cats Under-21 side.
It is still early days for the talented youngster but this tricky forward could go far in the game, if he continues to develop the way he has done of late then the future is certainly bright, not just for him but for Sunderland. He has his sights firmly set on the Sunderland first team in the future but knows he must keep working hard. “I travelled with them against Manchester United (in February) but I haven’t been on the bench or anything yet, so I’m just going to keep doing in the 21s what I’m doing and see how far I can go.”
Keep a close eye on Rees Greenwood: this potential star could be giving the big boys some big problems in the coming years.
