Academy graduate Tom Beadling has joined Scottish Championship side Dunfermline Athletic on a loan deal until the end of the season.
The 22-year-old, who is yet to make a senior appearance for the club, joined Sunderland aged eight before rising through the ranks.
Having been on the periphery of the first-team for the last couple of seasons, Beadling joined Sky Bet League One side, Bury on loan this time last season before making two appearances.
A defender by trade, Beadling, who signed a new one-year deal last summer, has featured prominently for Sunderland under-23s this season and will now spend the remainder of the 2017-18 campaign at East End Park.
Speaking about the deal, Beadling had this to say…
“Delighted to get the deal done and join the club, I am looking to play first-team football, so this will give me a great platform for that. I can play centre half or in the middle of the park. A big part of my game is to get on the ball as much as possible, so hopefully the fans will get to see that from me”.
Former Sunderland winger Allan Johnston, who is the Dunfermline manager added…
"We are happy to bring Tom to the club, he has been here for a few weeks and has really impressed us. We done our homework on him beforehand, and people at Sunderland speak really highly of him. He is a good passer of the ball and has good energy, so hopefully he will bring something different to the team”.