Blackpool boss reveals Sunderland loanee will stay with the Seasiders for the League One play-offs

With both Blackpool and Sunderland finishing in the top six, that raised concern among Seasiders that the Black Cats could look to recall their midfielder.

Pool’s head coach has confirmed to The Gazette that no such recall clause exists in the loan deal.

“If we get Sunderland in the semi-finals he obviously wouldn’t be allowed to play, so that would rule him out of those games,” he said.

“Saying that, he would still be eligible to play in the final if we were to get past Sunderland, and I know there’s a lot of ifs, buts and maybes in there.

“They can’t recall him, the agreement is until the end of the play-offs, the end of May or the first week of June I believe.

“I don’t think there’s any clause in that to say Sunderland would recall him before then. If we play Sunderland in the semi-finals, that would be different.

“I’ve locked him in a room twice this season on the day before we’ve played Sunderland. I don’t think I could lock him in the room for four or five days or whatever it is between the two semi-final games.

“That would be a little bit too much but he would be eligible for the final if we got there.”

As it stands, Pool sit third in the League One table while Sunderland are one point adrift in fourth.

If it remains that way on the final day of the regular season, the two sides will avoid each other in the play-off semi-finals.

However, who Blackpool will face in the semi-finals remains very much in the air and is dependent on how results pan out tomorrow afternoon.

Sunderland and Lincoln City, like Pool, are already guaranteed to finish in the top six, but Portsmouth, Oxford United and Charlton Athletic will battle it out for the final play-off spot.

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