Mikael Mandon's progress at Sunderland is being celebrated on Wearside.

The Journal says Mandon pitched up on Wearside in 2011 from French minor league club Boulogne after impressing in a trail game with all the physical attributes to be a success.

He was 6ft 1ins and growing - he is now two inches taller - and had technique and poise too.

But life was difficult at first, despite the young Frenchman having British ancestry (he can play for England and Scotland by virtue of his grandparents). Goals weren't flowing freely and homesickness struck.

With good coaching, excellent pastoral care and a determination to stick at it, the player is now featuring in the reserves and around the fringes of the senior side.