Oumare Tounkara

Sunderland

Tounkara signed a professional contract with French Ligue 2 club Sedan ahead of the 2008–09 season, although he did not make a senior appearance during his 12 months at the club. He was subsequently invited for a trial at Premier League club Sunderland and joined permanently in July 2009, having featured in several of the reserve team's pre-season fixtures. He struggled with persistent injuries during his first season, making 13 appearances for the reserves. Ahead of the 2010–11 season, Tounkara joined League One club Oldham Athletic on a season-long loan deal, along with team-mate Jean-Yves Mvoto, to gain senior experience. He made his debut for Oldham on 7 August 2010, playing 84 minutes in a 2–1 victory over Tranmere Rovers. A week later, he scored his first goal for the club, doubling Oldham's lead in a 3–0 home win against Notts County. Tounkara scored three goals in five matches during late October and November 2010, all at Boundary Park. He was a regular throughout his year at Oldham, making 46 appearances and scoring seven goals. Tounkara returned to Sunderland at the end of the season and trained with the first team during pre-season ahead of the 2011–12 season, scoring in a 2–1 friendly victory over York City on 13 July 2011. He was assigned a squad number for the season after impressing manager Steve Bruce in pre-season. Although early indications suggested he might feature for the senior team, he resumed playing for Sunderland's reserve team…

Tounkara was named in the provisional squad for France's under-20 team for the 2011 Toulon Tournament, but was not selected in the final 20-man selection.

Predominantly deployed as a centre forward, Tounkara was also utilised as a left-sided winger during his time at Châteauroux. Upon rejoining Oldham Athletic, manager Paul Dickov identified his physicality and pace as key attributes.

Tounkara was born in Paris into a Senegalese-Malian family and is one of six siblings.