Sunderland loan out South American misfit

Sunderland misfit Nicolas Medina has been farmed out to Spanish Second Division outfit Leganes on a year-long loan deal.

Leganes will have an extended chance to look at a player who arrived on Wearside from South America with a huge pedigree before deciding whether or not to take up a £2.5m (€3.5m) option to buy him.

The 21-year-old, a £3.5m (€5m) signing from Argentino Juniors in the summer of 2001, has made barely an imprint at the Stadium of Light, managing just one senior appearance – in the FA Cup – in two seasons.

He heads for Spain in the hope of resurrecting his career under Leganes boss Jose Pekerman, the man under whom he played for his country at Under-17, Under-18 and Under-20 levels.

Medina’s sole appearance for the first team came in 2-0 FA Cup third-round replay victory over Bolton in January this year as then manager Howard Wilkinson belatedly gave him his chance.

It was Peter Reid, flushed with the initial success of his move for the young Argentinian’s compatriot Julio Arca a year earlier, who invested so heavily in the youngster, but the swoop proved one of his less successful forays into the transfer market.

Medina and Arca were both in the Argentina Under-20s side which triumphed at the World Youth Championships under Pekerman two years ago.