Sunderland teenager Finn Geragusian has been called up for the Armenian national side
The forward is still yet to make his first team debut for the Black Cats, but has consistently caught the eye for both the U18s and U21s in recent months, and has been rewarded for his efforts at youth level with a spot in head coach Yegishe Melikyan’s squad for Armenia’s upcoming friendlies against the United Arab Emirates and Belarus.
Reflecting on his call-up, Geragusian recently told Sunderland’s in-house media team: “It's unbelievable, just a great feeling to get that call up and then it'll be a great experience when I go there to represent my country and my family, I'm really proud and I can't wait to have a new experience with the coaches and the new team and it'll bring different attributes to my game.”
Explaining his decision to include Geragusian in his plans, Melikyan said: “I called Finn up to see what he is capable of in senior football and to evaluate his future in the national team. He has good qualities and is the type of striker I need. But he is still very young, has not played at senior level and is not ready for the national team yet.
“We are calling him up to help with that transition and give him a push in his development. At the moment we have a huge problem in the attacking line, so I am looking at every possible option. I’m not very satisfied with the strikers we currently have.”
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What has Regis Le Bris said about Sunderland starlet Finn Geragusian?
At club level, the emerging prospect travelled with Le Bris’ first team squad for this season’s FA Cup clashes with Oxford United and Port Vale earlier this year, and was even named on the bench against the latter. As things stand, he is still yet to make his senior bow on Wearside, but nevertheless, his head coach has stated that he is very pleased with the progress the young attacker has made of late.
Speaking in a recent press conference, Le Bris said: “He had a few training sessions with us and I appreciated his profile. He is a good lad, really well connected with the mentality of the region and the club. He is a good footballer with a strong physicality.
“In this league, you probably need two strong centre-backs, a strong forward, and the ability to be competitive in duels, first contact, second ball and so on. He is really well-rounded. After that, he is young, so he needs experience. He needs to improve different things, but I like his profile.”
At the time of writing, Geragusian has scored 13 goals and assisted three more across 27 outings in all competitions this term, split between the U18s and the U21s. In the Premier League 2 specifically, the precocious 18-year-old has averaged a goal contribution ever other game, with three goals and two assists from his 10 appearances to date.
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