Sent off in his first game in English football, biding his time and finishing the season strong. It was a tough campaign at Sunderland for Edouard Michut but a hurdle that the promising talent overcame before heading back to Paris Saint Germain, with links to Leeds United emerging this summer.
Both Sunderland and the 20-year-old opted against making the move to Wearside a permanent one following the end of the campaign, but promotion to the top flight would have likely seen the Frenchman sign on the dotted line. “[It was] a very positive outcome,” Michut said after his return to PSG, in an interview with French outlet L’Equipe.
“It’s been a very good season to develop, to be ready for future years since it’s a Championship that is still incredibly intense and technically complicated. It took a bit of time to start for me to play games, especially because of some physical glitches as well as the adaptation to a new football, but I think I made the right choice by going to play for Sunderland.
“The club offered me the opportunity to stay. It was my decision to leave Sunderland. We didn’t agree on certain contractual points. There were also a few things in the style of play that didn’t suit me.
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“I’m more of a player who touches between 80 and 100 balls per game and, in this pattern, I’m at 50-60 maximum. I thank the president for understanding my choice not to stay.”
Leeds United’s style of play this season under Daniel Farke is still a work in progress, but the Whites are among the early front runners for promotion. Attracting young talents like Michut would be a step in the right direction albeit a move that is not without risks.
There’s no doubt there’s a quality player in there and to play for PSG’s first-team, given it’s full of superstars is no walk in the park. However, the French youth international struggled with consistency and needs to improve in that regard if he’s to fulfil his potential.
Newcastle United and RB Leipzig were both linked with a move for the young Frenchman last season, but both clubs have shown little interest in Michut so far this summer. The midfielder is on the slight side but has a fire in his belly, displayed on his first game against Middlesbrough Under-21s.
He was shown a red card for a late challenge, managing 72 minutes in the mini Tees-Wear derby but improved from thereon out. Michut broke into the Sunderland first-team on a consistent basis after Christmas and enjoyed a strong middle of the season, only to drop out of Tony Mowbray’s side for the play-offs.
Consistency was a major downfall during his Stadium of Light tenure and his output in the final third needs an improvement with just two goals in 31 appearances – one of those coming in Premier League 2 Division 2 for the Under-21s.
Michut may fancy Leeds to win promotion more than he did with the Black Cats, but there’s plenty work to be done behind the scenes and strengthening of the squad before then. He’s a clear talent and now has a year of experience under his belt, but there have been reports in France questioning the midfielder’s attitude and application.
At Sunderland, there was no sign of a poor attitude, playing for the Under-21s to gain a valuable insight into English football but the short nature of his loan spell and doubts over his future at the Ligue 1 Champions, meant he had to fight to show his quality. The Frenchman has an arrogance to the way he plays which could be confused for a bad attitude.
If Leeds are able to negotiate a fee under the £5million mark – the figure Sunderland are said to have negotiated with PSG to make the move a permanent one – then it could well be worth a gamble. Farke has a brilliant reputation for developing young players and the young Frenchman could be the next talent to thrive under the German.
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