Sunderland Under-21 manager Graeme Murty has stressed his desire to give summer signing Milan Aleksic a platform to go and play.
The Black Cats signed the 19-year-old midfielder from Serbian side Radnicki 1923 on deadline day, making him put pen-to-paper to a four-year deal.
While the teenager awaits his first taste of senior football at the Stadium of Light, he was given an opportunity for Sunderland’s Under-21 team.
Aleksic played 61 minutes in the 4-3 defeat to Everton on Tuesday with his manager insisting that he wants to see more from the player in the future.
Murty also wants the games for the Under-21 team to be the platform not just for the newcomer, but also for other first-team players.
“We want to see more of him. We want to give him a platform to go on and play, along with all the first-team players”, Murty told his club’s media.
“We keep on saying that we are a willing vehicle for those guys to get in the minutes to get an understanding, to get match fit, to get sharper.”
Playing with first-team players also helps youngsters show how well they can do, according to Murty.
“And we also want to make sure that our young players get the opportunity to play alongside them and show how well they can do.”
The young midfielder, who was a regular for Radnicki 1923 in the one season he was there, showed his presence in front of goal, ending the season with 16 goal contributions in 36 appearances.
