Roker Roundup: Sunderland-linked Maddison plays in friendly & Sports Scientist leaves for Stoke

Sunderland-linked Maddison turns out for non-league outfit

Marcus Maddison is now a free agent after leaving Peterborough United and he has opened up on Instagram about his ‘hell’ waiting for a phone call to resume his career.

The Peterborough Telegraph say Sunderland are believed to be one of the playmaker’s suitors but while he waits for an offer for his services, the 26-year-old turned out for non-league side Peterborough Sports in a friendly against Yaxley.

He has been training with the side while waiting for a new club and Sports manager Jimmy Dean told the Telegraph that Maddison has been a privilege to work with:

It was a privilege to have Marcus with us, he contacted me through a mutual acquaintance asking if he could come down.

If I thought it would be in anyway detrimental to my club I wouldn’t have let it happen, but we don’t even have a start date for our league next season so it’s not as though he was denying any minutes to anyone else.

Anyway the lads enjoyed having him around. He was decent with them. He was very humble and some of the skills and tricks he displayed, particularly in training, were breathtaking.

He can strike the ball beautifully without any backlift and the way he whips a cross in is incredible.

Marcus is a remarkable talent. He’s technically outstanding and he looks in great shape for someone who hasn’t played for a while.

We loved having him around, but I hope he gets what he wants soon. He’s easily good enough for the Championship. We’re just taking it day to day with him.

Photo by Zac Goodwin/PA Images via Getty Images

Sport Scientist departs

Former Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill has appointed Sunderland first team Sport Scientist Paul Walsh to the same position at Stoke City according to the Stoke Sentinel.

As well as being a sport scientist for Sunderland, Walsh performed the same role with O’Neill for the Northern Ireland national team and the Stoke manager has swooped to take him to the Bet365 Stadium.

Walsh had been with Sunderland, in the same position, since June 2014 but Phil Parkinson brought in Nick Allamby back in November to lead the club’s sport science division.

Tyson Nunez helps during quarantine

While the coronavirus pandemic continues, the Honduras National League has been put on hold and with no start date in site, some professional footballers have turned to a former Sunderland striker to help out.

Diez.hn report that a few top flight footballers in Honduras that have struggled to keep fit after four months of no football and no return to training have asked Milton Nunez for help.

Nunez has been leading the group in exercises on the beaches of Garifuna with Junior Lacayo of Olimpia saying how vital the training regime is during the uncertain times facing Honduran football:

All the leagues have already started, except for us. As a player, sometimes you think you’re fine but you’re not, the best thing is to work. We hope we can start in September.

Photo by John Walton/EMPICS via Getty Images