Wayne Bridge’s loan to Sunderland may not have been the kind of blockbuster deal we all hope for on deadline day, but it was an important one for the club and the player. Sunderland have been without a proper left-back all season (arguably longer), with Kieron Richardson or Phil Bardsley usually filling the hole.
Enter Wayne Bridge. On loan from City for until the end of the season. This is the chance for Bridge to remind everyone why he has earned 36 England caps, and been worth almost £20million in transfers.
The left-back suffered a terrible time at the City of Manchester Stadium. He found him self behind the likes of Zabaleta and Lescott in the pecking order. He soon found himself a completely forgotten man on the back pages, whilst his troubled private life ensured he was splashed across the front ones. Whenever a player finds himself featuring more in Heat than Fourfourtwo then his career is obviously in a downward phase.
Now however may be Bridges chance to show if he still has anything left at the top level, and I believe he does. Sunderland may be the perfect place for home to shows his skills for the remainder of this season. He can slot into the line-up easily, Martin O’Neill is a stable force at the club and for the players, and has no immediate pressure of relegation or Europe. The Stadium of Light may be the perfect place for Bridge to rebuild his reputation, and put himself in the shopping window.
Bridge himself seems to realise this, telling SAFC TV “I’m grateful for the chance and want to go out and work hard. I have looked at the fixtures and this month’s quite busy with a game every few days. That’s going to be good for me.”
The next 6 months may determine whether Bridge’s future lies in the Premiership or the Championship.
