DAVID HEALY has admitted his move to Sunderland has been far from a success but he hopes that last Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough, in which he created Kenwyne Jones’s equaliser, will prove to be a turning point.

“The move up here hasn’t gone well so far,” said Healy, who cost the club €1.3 million, and whose five Premier League appearances have all been as a substitute and whose solitary goal arrived in the League Cup.

“My confidence has been low. I haven’t been near the first team and I haven’t scored for so long. I did become a little anxious for a time but I still think I’ve got something to offer. ”

Healy is said to have felt crushed when the former manager Roy Keane admitted he had signed certain players and within days thought to himself: “Nah, you’re not for me.” It is understood that the Irishman had Healy very much in mind when he made that comment.

Ricky Sbragia is a Healy fan, however. Accordingly, he has discouraged interest from Rangers by saying the striker will not be leaving. “I knew Roy from my time as a young player at Manchester United and he was the main reason I came here,” Healy said. “But he had his ideas about where people can play and who’s the best for whatever position.

“It’s a clean slate under Ricky Sbragia, which can only be good for players who weren’t in the team or even the squad under Roy Keane. If you impress in training or in the reserves you’re going to get a chance now. Ricky’s got a good pedigree and the lads are right behind him; 99.99 per cent of us were really happy he got the job.”

The former Preston and Leeds forward also said he intends to repay a debt to the chairman. “Niall Quinn’s often at the training ground and he’s a real football man,” Healy said. “He’s paid decent money for me and I really want to do well for him.”

Guardian Service