South Shields have confirmed that former Sunderland trialist Wouter Verstraaten has signed a new contract with the club.
The versatile defender joined the Mariners from Northern League club Consett in January and went on to make 14 appearances before the coronavirus epidemic curtailed the season.
However, Verstraaten had impressed sufficiently to attract attention from clubs higher up the football pyramid.
That interest led to a trial at Sunderland and the PSV Eindhoven academy graduate appeared for their Under-23s side in a fixture against Liverpool in March.
The Black Cats maintained an interest in Verstraaten, but the Dutchman has now committed his future to South Shields.
After putting pen to paper, he told the club website: “I am very happy to have signed this deal, as it took a while before we finally got it done.
“I am very pleased that South Shields have shown their confidence in me during these unprecedented times.
“Ever since I joined the team in January, I have felt the professionalism and will to win this league.
“That this didn’t happen last season was obviously a very disappointing moment for the whole club, but I feel that we are very motivated to make things right next season.
“That is one of the many reasons I have signed with South Shields.”
The Mariners are also monitoring the contract situation of Sunderland youngster Jordan Hunter.
The Garstang-born full-back spent the majority of last season at Mariners Park and is awaiting news of whether his stay with the Black Cats will be extended as his current contract set to expire.
It has been a busy few days for South Shields after they confirmed their retained list for next season.
Loan signings Bali Mumba and Myles Boney have returned to Sunderland and Blackpool respectively and Sefton Gonzales and Millenic Alli are on a list of five players to have been released.
Young trio Kieran Charlton, George Lindo and Callum Guy have all seen their time at Mariners Park brought to a close.
One player that will be staying with the Northern Premier League club is young midfielder Will Jenkins.
The 18-year-old is a product of the Mariners academy and made national headlines when his stunning debut striker against Radcliffe drew praise from former Newcastle United and England captain Alan Shearer.
Jenkins has now signed a senior contract with the club and will hope to add to the 12 senior appearances he made last season.
The youngster quickly set his eyes on establishing himself in the thoughts of joint-managers Lee Picton and Graham Fenton after signing his contract.
He said: “I’m delighted to have been rewarded for a good season with a contract at first-team level.
“My time in the Academy has helped me massively and I feel like I’ve progressed a lot over the last two years.
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“Last season it was great to have the first-team captain Jon Shaw as my coach and Wess Brown has been a fantastic influence too.
“The Academy try to play in the same manner as the first-team and that helps a lot when you make that step up.
“I’m looking forward to trying to push on again next season and hope to become a regular.”
