Sunderland have enjoyed an excellent start to the 2023/24 Championship season and are currently in the play-off places as they head into the October international break.
The Black Cats are fourth in the division and have won six of their 11 league matches, whilst losing four, with Tony Mowbray at the helm so far this term.
They reached the semi-final of the play-offs last season and lost to Luton Town, who went on to win the showpiece at Wembley to earn promotion to the Premier League.
Sunderland are now looking to go one better this time around and the early signs are encouraging as they are well in the race to secure another top six finish.
Jack Clarke
7.65
Bradley Dack
7.30
Pierre Ekwah
7.27
Dan Neil
7.23
Daniel Ballard
7.22
As you can see in the table above, youth has been at the heart of the club's success so far this season as four of their top five best-performing players are under the age of 25, with 29-year-old ace Bradley Dack being the exception.
The Black Cats have built a squad full of talented young prospects and one promising dynamo who could develop into a star for Mowbray is Costa Rica international Jewison Bennette.
He was an unused substitute in the recent 4-0 defeat to Middlesbrough and the head coach must finally unleash the exciting forward after the international break.
How did Patrick Roberts perform against Middlesbrough?
Patrick Roberts started out wide on the right against Boro last weekend and struggled on and off the ball throughout the match with a disappointing display.
As per Sofascore, the former Manchester City prospect attempted four shots and missed one 'big chance' as he failed to find the back of the net, and was tackled in both of his dribble attempts.
The English whiz also only made one key pass in his 90 minutes on the pitch and did not create any 'big chances' for his teammates, which suggests that he found it difficult to break down the opposition's defence.
His lack of physicality also went against him as Boro's players found it far too easy to get the better of the Sunderland forward. Roberts lost a staggering seven of his eight duels and only made one tackle, whilst he failed to make any interceptions, blocks, or clearances to help out his defence in what turned out to be an emphatic win for the away side.
How many goals has Roberts scored this season?
The 26-year-old ace has failed to provide a single goal or assist in nine Championship matches so far during the 2023/24 campaign.
He has started six matches for the Black Cats without being directly involved in a goal and this means that the former Norwich City loanee has gone 585 minutes without a goal contribution.
This disappointing form comes after he managed five goals and seven assists in 42 league outings last term. The talented whiz created ten 'big chances' for his teammates throughout the 2022/23 season, but has only created one this time around.
Roberts has also lost 57% of his duels so far this term and this shows that opposition players are getting the better of him more often than not.
However, the English technician has been reliable in possession with a pass accuracy 88%, which shows that he rarely gives the ball away cheaply and can be trusted to retain it under pressure.
Whilst that is a useful attribute to have, Roberts is not supplementing that with goals and assists to change and win matches for Sunderland to boost their promotion bid.
Therefore, his place could be under threat and Mowbray should now move him aside, for at least one game, to see what Bennette could offer from the start.
How many appearances has Bennette made this season?
The 19-year-old wizard has only played eight minutes of Championship football so far this season and registered an assist in that cameo.
He completed one dribble and one chance, which resulted in an assist for 16-year-old Chris Rigg, in eight minutes against Southampton earlier this season.
The Costa Rica international has been an unused substitute in three league matches since that impressive showing but has caught the eye at youth level for the Black Cats.
Bennette has racked up one goal and two assists in three Premier League 2 games for the U21 side throughout the 2023/24 campaign, which shows that he is in a rich vein of form in the final third.
He has been directly involved in four goals in five matches in all competitions for the first-team and academy combined this term, whilst Roberts is still looking for his first goal or assist of the season.
This comes after Bennette, who was once dubbed a "star boy" by journalist Josh Bunting, managed one goal and one assist in 15 substitute appearances in the Championship during the 2022/23 campaign.
Should Bennette start against Stoke?
The Black Cats travel away to face Stoke City after the international break and Mowbray, who once dubbed the teenage whiz as an "electric" player, must finally unleash him from the start for the first time in the league.
Bennette is yet to make his full debut at Championship level and his performances for the U21 side and his cameos for the first-team suggest that the potential is there for him to make a big impact at the top end of the pitch.
The 5 foot 8 magician has produced two goals and four assists in eight U21 games for the club since the start of last season and has two assists in the second tier, despite not starting a single league match over the last 15 months.
Roberts' performances in the final third have left a lot to be desired, in spite of the rest of his play leading up to the box, and Bennette is a young player who has showcased the potential to be a game-changer.
The impressive youngster could be a difference-maker with his ability to score and create goals from a wide position and that is why Mowbray must unleash him on the opposite flank to Jack Clarke to see if he can grasp a first-team opportunity.
