Nedum Onuoha has joined Sunderland on loan for the rest of the season.
This is no surprise. It was clear last season just how far down the pecking order he was: when Dedryck Boyata started ahead of him in the League Cup semi-final we knew chances were limited. He only started seven games in all competitions, and once we spent £11m on Jérôme Boateng it was clear where his future lay. How many big, athletic right / centre backs can one club maintain?
I won't call time on his career just yet but I really can't see him playing for City again. Loan deals for teenagers are one thing but he's almost 24, this is the eighth season since his debut and he is further away from playing regularly than ever. It's a shame that he's leaving but I don't think I can blame Mancini. The hinge moment came in the summer of 2009, after Onuoha had just enjoyed his best spell in blue, when Mark Hughes signed both Kolo Touré and Joleon Lescott and sold Richard Dunne. Had he just signed one Onuoha could have continued his development in the side. But he didn't, and it felt like an opportunity that would not return again.
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Good old Sparky.
Don't write off Ned just yet. He could do as well for the Mackems as Hart did for Birmingham last season. After watching more international defensive bungling at Wembley last night, I fancy the Chief to make the Euro 2012 squad. The fact that he's on loan and not sold suggests Mancini sees something worth holding onto. I'm delighted that he's still a blue.
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