Sunderland youngster Zak Johnson was just 16 years and 141 days old when he made his debut in the red and white colours, breaking a 50-year-old outfield record on Wearside. The centre-half was an injury time substitute during Sunderland's Papa John's Trophy clash with Manchester United in October 2021.
The Black Cats ran out 2-1 winners in the competition with Lee Johnson giving a number of youngsters the opportunity to impress, having won the competition the year prior. “I had trained with the first team, but I was still a first-year scholar. It was the Manchester United game and I had been named on the bench for the first time,” Johnson told safc.com.
“No, I didn’t have any idea that I would [get onto the pitch]. I’d occasionally be sent out to warm up and at the time I thought even this is good enough, just being in the environment. And then I think it was in the 90 th minute, Lee Johnson sent me out specifically to warm up."
