Forgotten ex-Sunderland, Rangers and Cardiff City man handed career lifeline in Scotland
In Scotland, the forgotten former Sunderland footballer has been given a career lifeline.
Scotland has given Declan John, a former Sunderland loanee, a career lifeline.
The full-back had been a free agent since leaving Bolton Wanders last summer after going on loan to Salford City, but after starting the season without a team, he has now agreed to a two-month contract with St. Mirren through January.
In January 2020, John moved from Swansea City to Sunderland on loan, and he played at the Stadium of Light for the second half of the 2019–20 season. There was not a single appearance for Wearside’s first team throughout that time.
The 29-year-old, who is mostly a left-back, has earned seven senior caps for Wales during his career. He has also played for teams like Cardiff City, Salford City, and Scottish powerhouse Rangers, where he collaborated with current Sunderland under-21 manager Graeme Murty.
“I’m really happy to be here,” John said on the St. Mirren website. A hectic few days have passed. I arrived on Thursday, trained on Friday, and attended the game on Saturday, which saw the guys win handily. I have thoroughly loved it, and I am eager to resume my training. Everything has been so good since you walked in, and the changing room reflects that. It seems like such a pleasant place to be.
“Declan is here on a short-term deal with a view to extending, depending on how it goes,” remarked Stephen Robinson, manager of St. Mirren. We don’t have enough defence coverage because of the situation we’re in. Declan brings a wealth of experience to the table. We are quite fortunate to have been able to bring him in since he has played at some very high levels and has obviously been up in Scotland before.
His quality has been evident in his first few training days. We need to look into this and attempt to get him up to speed since, although he is a gifted child with excellent technical skills, he hasn’t played much football in recent months. At this point in the season, I think we are extremely fortunate to have Declan join the team with his calibre and experience.
