Sunderland have the luxury of bringing Duncan Watmore back from injury.
Jason Steele has told The Northern Echo that Sunderland ace Duncan Watmore can be a “massive asset” for the Black Cats this season.
The 23-year-old announced his return from a nine-month injury layoff with an excellent cameo in the 2-2 draw at Preston North End last weekend.
Having Watmore – who almost set up a late winner at Deepdale – is a huge plus for a Sunderland side who have struggled in a major way this season.
Simon Grayson’s men sit second from bottom in the Championship and the Wearside outfit need all the help they can get in order to climb the division.
But the Sunderland keeper is optimistic that Watmore’s return to the fold can have a ripple effect throughout the whole squad and “boost everyone” as they try and reverse the damage of their early-season horror show.
“Even in training, you can see what an asset he is going to be to us,” Steele, a £500,000 addition from Blackburn Rovers in the summer, told The Northern Echo.
“We all know pace is a massive part of the game now, and having somebody so direct and willing to chase lost causes, who makes clever runs, is going to be massive for us over the next few games.
“Hopefully, he stays fit, and fingers crossed he can score a few goals and boost everyone.”
Sunderland host QPR at the Stadium of Light next weekend and head to Brentford the following week – two very winnable games and Grayson will be hoping that the positive signs evident at Preston are obvious once more in the coming weeks.
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