Four players that could leave Sunderland on-loan this summer - and what their futures could hold

Sunderland will have a couple of major decisions to make regarding players that could leave Wearside on loan this summer. Here, we take a look at what the future could hold for four players that may leave the club on-loan this summer.

Joe Anderson

Anderson joined from Everton in January but featured on just four occasions under Mowbray. The 22-year-old has plenty of promise, but hasn’t had too much exposure to first-team football in his short professional career. 

This is something that Sunderland will undoubtedly want Anderson to experience next season, but will that happen on Wearside or elsewhere? In March, Mowbray discussed the idea that a short-term loan for Anderson could be best to help his development, saying: "They [young players] go and grow that muscle, they get experience, they come back with a couple of tattoos... you know what I mean, they're turning into men.

"I'm not saying that's what we'll do with Joe, but if we get recruitment right and things are going OK through pre-season, we might have that discussion with him. See if he wants to go and play 25 games and then come back in the New Year and see where we feel he's at."

Bailey Wright

The Australian joined Rotherham United on-loan in January after falling down the pecking-order at Sunderland. Signed by the Millers to act as emergency cover, Wright featured seven times in the league for Rotherham before an ankle injury ended his campaign prematurely. 

Wright will return to Wearside this summer but will find himself in the exact situation as in January with players like Danny Batth, Luke O’Nien and Dan Ballard all ahead of him for a starting spot. A move back to the AESSEAL New York Stadium is unlikely for the 30-year-old who will be eyeing regular first-team football once again.

Ellis Taylor

Like many at the Suit Direct Stadium last term, Taylor did not enjoy the most fruitful of loan spells. He made just eight appearances for Pools, totalling just 264 minutes of action. He was an unused substitute for Sunderland at the back end of the campaign and his future at the club is up-in-the-air this summer.

In January, Graeme Murty told the Echo that the club were aiming to give Taylor more minutes after struggling for gametime at Hartlepool. At just 20 years of age, there is time for Taylor to develop but the club will be keen to avoid sending him on-loan to a place he won’t get regular minutes at.

Jay Matete

Matete spent the second half of last season on-loan at Plymouth Argyle and played a crucial role in helping the Pilgrims secure promotion to the Championship. Matete made just eight league appearances for the Black Cats before his move to Home Park last season - but does he have a role to play at the Stadium of Light this season?

His form for Argyle has shown what he is capable of when given a consistent run of games, but with plenty of competition for a spot in that midfield - and the addition of Jobe Bellingham certainly adds to that - will he be given that opportunity to impress this season? Or will another loan move be looked at to help him continue his development?