Sunderland took their second draw on the bounce this weekend after failing to dominate at the Stadium of Light against Preston North End, and there is a glaring issue that could be a big contribution to their struggle to win games over their last two outings in the Championship.
The Black Cats are currently without a striker as both Ross Stewart and Ellis Simms are currently injured, and their absence has reflected in the team’s results as of late, leading to Sunderland’s fall from their position in the playoffs to seventh after the draw yesterday.
As a result, finding a solution to their issues up front will need to come fast for Tony Mowbray as his team will be hosting again on Tuesday night when they welcome Blackpool to the Stadium of Light, and there is one player the manager could lean on to provide more creativity in the final third.
Manchester United loanee Amad Diallo has now made four substitute appearances for the North-East club since joining in the summer and has already shown glimpses of his potential and ability despite not being picked in the starting line-up.
The 20-year-old talent who was hailed “unbelievable” by former teammate Daniel James, has made one key pass per game and is completing 100% of his passes in his own half, even though he has only been seen for an average of 24 minutes per appearance so far.
Last season, the young winger was on loan with Rangers and although he only made 13 appearances, he managed to score three goals in the Scottish Premiership when given the opportunity to play in the team.
His statistics from that campaign, where he registered one dribble per match would remarkably place him third in the Mackems’ squad for that statistic, suggesting he’d offer something very few others in the squad can provide.
Should Diallo start vs Blackpool?
Possessing an electric and dazzling set of skills in the final third, now is the time for Mowbray to unleash Diallo in the team as it is not only the golden opportunity for the £28k-per-week ace to prove his worth to the boss, but he is one of the only available attacking threats left in the team with experience of playing in the forward line.
With that being said, it will be interesting to see how the Black Cats manager sets up on Tuesday against Blackpool, and whether he will give Diallo the chance to make an impact on the side as he could have the positive influence Sunderland needs right now to take all three points from the clash.
