Last season, the left-winger spent time on loan at League Two outfit Harrogate Town, scoring 13 goals while laying on six assists in his 39 league appearances for the club.

 

With only one appearance in Sunderland’s first six opening games this season, Diamond opted for a loan move to League One side Lincoln City in search of regular game time.

 

 

The 22-year-old has scored four times in his five outings for the Imps, while also registering a hat-trick against Bristol Rovers last month.

 

Black Cats boss Mowbray, who is dealing with the injuries of Sunderland’s main striking duo, Ross Stewart and Ellis Simms, admitted that he is monitoring Diamond’s progress at Lincoln City and stressed that he is impressed by the winger’s development.

 

 

The Sunderland manager also acknowledged that if the 22-year-old continues to perform impressively in League One, the Black Cats will consider cutting the player’s loan spell at Lincoln City short and recalling him.

 

“Every loan I’ve ever done has a recall clause, so we’ll be able to bring him back in January if we want to”.  Mowbray was quoted as saying by The Northern Echo.

 

 

“We watch Jack’s clips every week.

 

“He was nominated for the Player of the Month the other month, and scored a hat-trick a couple of weeks ago.

 

“I actually saw him play in Sunderland’s pre-season game at Hartlepool – I was there with the Hartlepool owner and Gary Pallister, who is a good friend – and I thought Jack Diamond played well that night.

 

“He looked sharp and clever with the ball down the left-hand side, always chopping it back and putting it across the box. But then a week later he’d gone on loan.

 

“If he goes away and is sub all the time, not getting into a lower-league team, then he’s probably in the right place, developing and learning what it’s like to be subbed off or left out of the team.

 

“But if he bangs in 20 goals before January, this club have to sit there and think, ‘Right, hang on a minute, why have we got an asset away scoring all those goals?’”

 

Lincoln City will take on Ipswich Town on Saturday and Diamond will be hoping to continue his form against Kieran McKenna’s side.