Milton Keynes Dons of England have lost the services of Nigerian-born youngster, Matthew Sorinola, who has moved to Royale Union Saint-Gilloise of Belgium instead of signing a new contract with the lower division English side, megasportsarena.com reports.
Rather than stay put in the doldrums of English football, Sorinola has moved to the Belgian First Division B champions, where the London-born wing-back becomes the sixth Nigerian to feature, following previous stints by Marshal Johnson, Ode Thompson, Michael Odibe, Jero Shakpoke and Prince Nake.
The 11-time Belgian champions will now aim to get the best of Sorinola, after their fended off interest from the Glasgow-based duo of Rangers and Celtic of Scotland to sign the 20-year-old, who opted to move abroad after rejecting a new deal at The Dons, which he joined from Fulham in 2017.
Sorinola, who was also on the radar of some English Championship and Premier League clubs, as well as German and French teams, put pen to paper on a three-year contract with Saint-Gilloise in a deal that includes an option for one extra year.
This comes after Sorinola put himself in the shop window with a string of fine displays in the English League One and the highlight of his performance in the recently concluded season was his hat-trick of assists against Accrington Stanley in March, then finished the campaign with two goals and six assists across 43 appearances in all competitions.
A report by TamTalk added: “The 20-year-old rejected a new contract at Milton Keynes Dons, as we revealed on Thursday. The wing-back had attracted interest from Premier League and Championship clubs. There was also strong interest in the shape of Scottish giants Rangers and Celtic.
“Sorinola, though, has opted to move to the continent and to Belgium. And while he has shunned possible deals in Germany and France, he has opted to join the club better known as Union SG.
“Union SG have just celebrated promotion to the top-flight and their owner Tony Bloom – who also owns Brighton – is keen for them to make an impact. Now they have made a move to land Sorinola, who we understand has put pen-to-paper on a three-year deal with the club.
“Sorinola will add to a burgeoning British legion at the club. He joins former Portsmouth defender Christian Burgess in their squad. They will also be joined by young Chelsea forward Marcel Lewis, who is also poised to sign a long-term deal in the coming days.”
