According to Football Scotland, Jack MacIver is set to undergo a trial at Sunderland, with the view of the club offering him a professional deal at the end of it.

The Lowdown: An uncertain future

The 19-year-old worked his way up through the ranks as part of Aberdeen’s reserves, but has failed to make any senior appearances during his time in the Scottish Premiership.

The midfielder has most recently been out training with Sheffield Wednesday, but the Owls have decided against making a permanent move for his services.

His contract at the Pittodrie Stadium expired at the end of May, making him a free agent, and it looks as though the Black Cats want to give him a chance to prove his worth ahead of the new season in the Championship.

The Latest: MacIver set for Sunderland trial

As part of a live transfer blog, Football Scotland revealed that MacIver is ‘set for a trial’ with Sunderland.

The source stated that the maestro had been ‘training’ with Wednesday, but will now ‘go to the Black Cats' training ground’ and get to work, with the aim being to ‘win a deal’.

The Verdict: U23s prospect

Sunderland are clearly interested in seeing what MacIver is capable of, but with the Owls turning down the chance to retain his services, this does cause a little bit of concern.

It feels likely that the Stadium of Light outfit will be plotting to integrate the teenager into their U23s side given his lack of experience at first-team level, so it's certainly not an upgrade to the first-team ranks.

There’s no doubt that Alex Neil always keeps a close eye on the club’s exciting young talents however, and with the right amount of progress, MacIver could potentially go on to become one of the fresh faces who forces his way into the senior starting XI in years to come.