The big Sunderland selection debate after Everton draw
Sunderland have appointed Leroy Lita to a backroom role at the Academy of Light
Former Premier League striker Leroy Lita has joined Sunderland as a professional development phase coach, the club have confirmed.
The 40-year-old enjoyed a long and nomadic playing career of his own, starting in Chelsea’s academy system and going on to represent the likes of Middlesbrough, Reading, Bristol City, Swansea City, and several others from across the English footballing pyramid. Prior to his move into coaching, he also spent spells in Greece and Thailand.
Since hanging up his boots, he has worked with Walsall’s academy, and more recently, with Aston Villa. His appointment at Sunderland, as announced on Thursday, marks his first full-time coaching position, and in an official statement, the club said that they are “excited to see the expertise, energy, and insight he will bring” to their youth setup.
Speaking about the decision to appoint Lita, Sunderland academy chief Robin Nicholls said: “It is great to welcome Leroy to the club. Along with some coaching experience in academy football, he brings with him some fantastic experiences from his highly-successful playing career. I have no doubt that our players will benefit from his knowledge of the game.”
The Echo has launched a new WhatsApp SAFC Channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates direct to your phone. Simply click this link to join ourSAFC WhatsApp channel.
What is the latest from Sunderland’s academy setup?
As part of Sunderland’s academy system, Lita will find himself working alongside the likes of U21s head coach Graeme Murty, who, speaking after last week’s 2-2 Premier League International Cup draw with Anderlecht, called for the English game to consider incorporating development sides into the senior pyramid, like their European counterparts.
He said: “I think that a lot of the time when you do play against mature athletes all the time, you're very, very stretched. So we like to categorise our areas of development. And I think that a stretch is really important. I think there's a level that you can go beyond that into stress, physically and technically. And I think when you're dealing so much with the physicality and coping, shall we say, development sometimes can take a backwards seat because you're so busy just coping.
“We like to vary ours where we get a bit of stretch, a bit of stress. And then we get a bit where we put a completely different psychological challenge in, in an area where they're expected to be the top player. We then expect them to perform. So when you're playing in games like this, I'm expecting them to be competitive. In games that aren't as intense or as technical as this, I'm expecting them to be really good. So the expectation level becomes different.
“But I think talking to their coaching staff, they really like how much variety they're getting within their programme as well. And I think there are benefits to both. I would love the opportunity to put our young lads into a league against mature athletes. We don't have that facility in this country, unfortunately. I think it would be a really, really interesting experiment. And I think you would get the backing of many, many, many big clubs.”
Continue Reading