It emerged just last week that Ukrainian Romain Didyk had a trial at Sunderland a couple of years back. In the words of reporter Mykhailo Spivakovskyi, meanwhile, he ‘made a good impression’ during his time in England’s North East.
Now, for the first time, Didyk opens up on what exactly went wrong.
Now a regular at FC Rukh Lviv in Ukraine’s top flight, the 22-year-old stopper admits that there was a real chance of a contract at Sunderland. That was, however, until he suffered an injury which seemingly gave the Black Cats enough reason to pull the plug.
Roman Didyk confirms injury destroyed his Sunderland hopes
“I could have actually ended up in England. It was back in 2022, after the start of the full-scale war [between Ukraine and Russia],” Didyk tells UA Football, admitting that he represented Sunderland’s Under 23 side during his time on Wearside.
“I had the opportunity, I was happy to go there. I trained for eight or nine days. [But] on the last day, I pulled my groin and couldn’t stay because of that. So, I went back to Ukraine.
“As far as I know, I [initially] went exclusively for a trial, so that they would look at me, take note of me, something like that. There was no talk of a transfer [at the start].
Two-and-a-half years on, Didyk admits he did not expect this story to emerge so much later down the line. He is settled at Rukh Lviv these days, starting 15 out of 16 Ukrainian Premier Liga games this term while also captaining his club on a few occasions.
“I was surprised when I read it!” Didyk adds. “This is old information. If they write that I was there now, then it is definitely a lie. This was before the championship resumed in Ukraine.
“I went from May to June, 2022.”
Nazariy Rusyn may be allowed to go by Black Cats boss Regis Le Bris
Sunderland would, of course, sign another young Ukrainian just one year later. Nazariy Rusyn arrived at the Stadium of Light deal from Zorya Luhansk in 20223.
But, failing to replicate his impressive goals return on English soil, Rusyn has fallen out of favour under Regis Le Bris as Wilson Isidor and Aaron Connolly move ahead of him in the coach’s pecking order.
Rusyn, 26 years of age now, has not featured in the Championship since the 2-0 win over Derby County on October 1st. That was his sixth – and possibly last – league appearance in Le Bris’ watch.
Speaking as Sunderland prepare to host Bristol City on Tuesday night, Le Bris admitted that the likes of Rusyn, Adil Aouchiche and Abdoullah Ba may be allowed to leave during the January transfer window.
Le Bris is less open to letting Sunderland youngster Milan Aleksic go, however. The Frenchman feels that Aleksic would benefit from staying put and honing his communication skills behind the scenes with the Black Cats.
Le Bris open to Sunderland exits in January
“There are players who haven’t really been involved who could maybe leave in January,” Le Bris said. “If you don’t have the opportunity to play, and you have an option with another club that is good for your development, then sometimes that is a good option to take and move on.
“We will see what happens. We have to be mindful of the balance of the team and the squad. You need to have subs who have the right mindset, even if they don’t play a lot.
“You need players who are always available, good in training sessions and positive on the bench. That is very important, and then you also have to remember that all of the players have a contract. That is another factor.
“But the players need to play, and you need a squad that has the right dynamic.”
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