Sunderland look set to be without Elliot Embleton for some time after the midfielder was badly injured in Saturday’s draw with Hull City but Tony Mowbray can use this as an opportunity to properly unleash Patrick Roberts.
Embleton received a straight red card for his challenge at the KC Stadium but Sunderland fans were perhaps more concerned with the way he landed after the tackle, as he was forced off on a stretcher in some pain.
Mowbray confirmed afterwards that he had gone to the hospital in a lot of pain and feared that it could be a serious injury for the 23-year-old midfielder.
The former Blackpool loanee has featured in 23 Championship games for the Black Cats so far this campaign so will undoubtedly be a big miss, but it could also be the opportunity that Roberts has been looking for.
Embleton has been featuring further forward in recent fixtures, either as a winger or an attacking midfielder, so there is definitely potential for Roberts to replace him in the starting lineup when Sunderland face Blackburn Rovers on Boxing Day.
The former Manchester City man, who earns £6.7k per week at the Stadium of Light, has started each of the last four games in the second tier on the bench but made a positive impact at the weekend, providing an excellent assist for Ross Stewart’s goal.
The 25-year-old has been limited to just ten starts in the Championship this season but has two goals and three assists to his name, and he could provide much more of a threat from the start, now that Embleton is sidelined.
Former manager Alex Neil was full of praise for Roberts’ impact last season, saying:
“He’s a little magician, isn’t he? I thought his quality was great. We’ve had to work him to get him to this point in terms of giving him enough minutes and building him up, but he has been showing signs of coming alive over the last few weeks and I certainly think he came alive yesterday – I thought he was excellent.”
The Englishman ranks seventh for shots, fifth for key passes and first for dribbles per game in Sunderland’s squad, so he clearly has a lot to offer Mowbray going forward.
While it is a big loss that Embleton will likely be out for an extended period, it could prove to be the catalyst Roberts needed to really stamp his authority on games from the start.
