Sunderland have signed Nathan Bishop from Manchester United for an undisclosed transfer fee.
Bishop’s move sees his three-and-a-half year spell at Man Utd come to an end with no competitive senior appearances since he joined from Southend United in January 2020, although he has recently featured in the Red Devils’ pre-season tour this summer.
During that pre-season tour, Bishop played in the first half of United’s shock 3-1 friendly loss to Wrexham in which he was involved in a collision with Wrexham’s Paul Mullin who consequently suffered a punctured lung.
Sunderland meanwhile finished sixth last season in the Championship en-route to a Play-Off semi-final defeat to Luton, despite having led the Hatters after the first leg of their two-legged tie.
Acknowledging the Black Cats’ strong campaign last season, Bishop spoke excitedly of the club’s ambitions as he explained: “You see the direction that the Club is going, playing young players and allowing them to express themselves and push on in a great league.
“I think that is so exciting, so I want to come in and earn the right to play for such a great team and a great Club.”
Bishop has signed a three-year contract on Wearside until June 2026.
Sunderland’s Sporting Director, Kristjaan Speakman added that the club had been monitoring Bishop’s progress for an extensive period of time, during which the 23 year-old spent 2021-22 season on loan at League Two’s Mansfield Town.
Speakman also praised Bishop for feeling “ambitious,” in making the move which will see him battle Anthony Patterson to be the club’s first-choice goalkeeper.
Addressing what Bishop’s arrival means for Patterson, Speakman said: “We want a challenging environment on the grass every day and we believe Nathan can add to what we feel is a really strong group of goalkeepers.”
Bishop could make his debut for Sunderland at home to Ipswich Town at the Stadium of Light on Sunday 6 August, in a 5pm BST kick-off live on Sky Sports in the UK.
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