Joel Asoro admits getting angry at Sunderland

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Sunderland striker Joel Asoro scored on his last outing for Chris Coleman’s side.

Sunderland striker Joel Asoro has admitted to the Sunderland Echo that he was angry about his lack of first-team opportunities at the start of the season, but he is delighted to be involved now.

Asoro enjoyed an encouraging pre-season for the Black Cats, but he was often kept on the substitutes’ bench over the early part of the campaign.

The youngster admits it was a frustrating time for him, but he continued to work hard on the training pitch in the hope that his chance would come.

Asoro has recently broken into Sunderland’s first-team, and he has now proven his worth to Chris Coleman’s side.

The Swedish-born forward scored in Sunderland’s 3-3 draw with Middlesbrough last weekend, and looks likely to retain his place in Coleman’s starting line-up now.

And Asoro said: “When I came in people maybe looked at me and thought, he’s too little, too weak, too young, but you just can’t give up, keep working and keep believing.

“It has taken me a year, you can get angry when you’re not getting the minutes, but you’ve just got to keep going.

“There’s a bit of competition up front, but you have to be ready, can you bring some energy from the bench? I’m playing in two positions, but at the end of the day I’ve got to do the same things.

“I was expecting at the start of the season to get a few minutes, but the way things have gone, I’ve been lucky.”

Sunderland need Asoro to keep scoring, as they are battling against the drop.

The Black Cats are currently sat at the bottom of the Championship table, four points adrift of safety.

Sunderland are next in action against Millwall on Saturday.