Sunderland have signed a trio of teenage academy stars to their first professional contracts. The Black Cats have confirmed that defender Zak Johnson, goalkeeper Harrison Bond, and forward Harry Gardiner have joined the club on a full-time basis, and will work predominantly with the club's Premier League 2 squad this season.
Johnson was also a regular in Sunderland's Premier League 2 side last season and, in October, he became the youngest outfielder to make a first-team appearance for the club for almost 50 years when - at 16 years and 141 days - he came off the bench to feature in the Black Cats' EFL Trophy win against Manchester United U21 at the Stadium of Light. The 17-year-old has signed a professional deal running to 2025, and said: "It feels surreal, and so special to have signed professional terms with my hometown club.
"I'm so excited to get started this season, and this has only given me more drive to keep pushing and improving."
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Bond, 18, has signed a one-year deal, with the club having the option to extend by a further 12 months. He played mainly for the U18s last season but also featured in U23 squads, and was also on the bench for the first-team in August for Sunderland's Carabao Cup win at Blackpool.
He said: "I'm delighted to sign a professional contract with the club I've grown up at and where I've learnt so much. I'm so thankful to Pruds [goalkeeping coach Mark Prudhoe], who was the first face I saw when I first entered the building, and to have that brief experience with the first team is even more motivation for me."
Gardiner has also signed a one-year deal, again with the club holding the option to extend by a further 12 months, following the 18-year-old's successful season with the U18s, and a number of appearances for the U23s. He said: "It feels amazing to sign professionally here, a really proud moment for myself and my family, who are Sunderland fans.
"Whilst I've been fit, I feel that I've come on well as a player here and this is just the start."
The rules governing Premier League 2 will change for the 2022-23 season, with the competition becoming an U21 league having previously been an U23 league.
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