It’s been confirmed that Patrick Roberts is out until after the September international break as he limped off against Rotherham, so let’s have a look at some potential replacements for the tricky winger.
ABDOULLAH BA
Initially arriving at the club as a central midfielder, Mowbray seemingly sees Ba at his best out on the wing. He has made two substitute appearances on the wing with his impressive cameo against Preston showing he is capable of operating on the flanks, but his big issue is his decision making. He always seems unsure when to release the ball, whether that be for a shot or for a pass, which often sees him run straight into danger. Although this is an issue there is certainly a talented player in there and a run of games could help bring that out.
JEWISON BENNETTE
After a promising start on Wearside, netting on just his second appearance for the club away at Watford, Bennette has not been given a lot of opportunities to impress. Despite some bright performances in pre-season, he is yet to feature in the league so far and has been an unused sub in all 3 games. There are also rumours that the Costa Rican could be sent out on loan before the window slams shut next week. For me though, I feel that it could be time to give Jewi an opportunity to show his worth and with him one of very few natural right sided wingers currently at the club, he could finally earn his first Championship start for the Black Cats. One thing you could read into was his absence from the U21’s 4-0 win over Notts County on Tuesday. You would imagine the club would have had an idea about the extent of Roberts injury at that point, so could that be Mowbray keeping him right for Saturday - or was it more the fact they are keeping him right for a potential loan move? Only time will tell on that one.
LYNDEN GOOCH
With a lot of talk over Gooch’s future, could he get one final chance to keep himself at the club past the deadline? Gooch has played in many different positions for Sunderland since his Premier League debut against Manchester City in 2016, including playing out on the wing. Predominantly during the League One days, the academy graduate operated as a right winger, so it’s not exactly new territory for him and it would not be a surprise at all if he were to replace Roberts at Coventry at the weekend. Gooch is a bit more direct than Roberts though, very much being the type of winger to drive down the line and get the cross in. This would benefit a striker like Hemir, rather than having a winger dribbling in and out of defenders and trying to get into the box himself. As seen with Batth and Pritchard though, I feel Mowbray would not take the risk on playing Gooch with it already seeming that their future at the Stadium of Light has already been decided.
It is not going to be an easy decision for Mowbray, but with such inexperienced options, it does emphasise the need to speed up our recruitment with just a week to go of the window. There's no clear-cut Patrick Roberts replacement, but feel free to chip in and let us know who you think could fill the void there...
