Sunderland return to action in the Championship on Saturday as they host Reading at the Stadium of Light with the hope of bouncing back from their defeat to Fulham.
Tony Mowbray’s side were beaten 3-2 by the Premier League side in their FA Cup fourth-round replay on Wednesday night in a thrilling match on Wearside.
The Black Cats put in a spirited display against Marco Silva’s men and came close to drawing level with the Cottagers in the final stages of the game after Jewison Bennette pulled one goal back in stoppage time.
Sunderland now come up against 16th-placed Reading and could move into the play-off spots with a win as they currently sit two points off the top six in the table.
Will Joe Gelhardt start against Reading?
One change Mowbray must make to his side from the defeat to Fulham is bringing in on-loan Leeds United centre-forward Joe Gelhardt from the start.
The 20-year-old, who arrived at the Stadium of Light during the January transfer window, was ineligible to play on Wednesday after playing for his parent club in an earlier round last month.
Should Joe Gelhardt start?
He is the only natural striker available for Sunderland, after Ross Stewart’s injury and Ellis Simms’ departure, and has the potential to be a match-winner for the Black Cats.
Amad Diallo (seven) is the only midfielder with more than four strikes in the Championship this season and this suggests that Mowbray is not blessed with a plethora of regular goalscoring outlets.
Gerhardt, however, could be the main man for goals for Sunderland if the gem can hit his stride in a red and white shirt as his form Leeds at youth level shows that there is a huge attacking threat to be unearthed.
These statistics show that the 5 foot 9 gem, who was once hailed as “absolutely outrageous” by Leeds reporter Beren Cross, was a consistent, reliable, goalscorer for the Whites at U21 level.
The young centre-forward has also shown glimpses of his quality at Premier League level as the gem has scored two goals and provided six assists in six starts – playing 35 times in total.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp once lauded the gem as “exciting” and a “human wrecking ball” for his impact in a top-flight match for Leeds and this suggests, along with his contributions in attack, that Gelhardt has the ability to make an impact at the top level.
Therefore, in theory, the 20-year-old should be able to thrive at a lower level if presented with the chances he needs from his teammates to find the back of the net, which is why Mowbray must unleash him from the start.
