Tony Mowbray believes Sunderland have signed a ‘wonderful talent’ with Joe Gelhardt arriving on loan from Premier League outfit Leeds United, speaking to Football League World.
You could forgive Tony Robinson for scheduling an episode of Time Team in and around the grounds of Elland Road, in the hope of excavating a few artifacts from an ancient Indian burial ground.
Leeds sent Gelhardt on loan to Sunderland in late-January; the England U20 international struggling for regular minutes in West Yorkshire. Just days later, the man who was keeping Gelhardt out of Jesse Marsch’s XI – Rodrigo Moreno – was ruled out for up to two months. Talk about and timing.
Hello darkness my old friend, and all that.
Patrick Bamford is now Leeds’ only remaining centre-forward – well, unless you count the versatile Georginio Rutter – and he too is never far away from a spell on the sidelines. Such is Leeds’ misfortune when it comes to injuries, Marsch’s eventual replacement could do worse than to send a bunch of hand-picked roses to Lady Luck and beg her for forgiveness.
For the time being, Gelhardt’s full focus is on helping Sunderland maintain their surprise play-off push; there being a very real possibility that the Whites and the Black Cats could be trading divisions come May.
Joe Gelhardt impressing at Sunderland after Leeds United exit
“He will score goals for us,” Mowbray says of the Leeds loanee. “He’s strong as an ox, he works his socks off, he’s got a rocket in his left foot. He’s a really talented boy.”
Gelhardt is yet to open his scoring for Sunderland, with three Championship starts under his belt. Mowbray, however, beleives it’s a matter of time before the one-time Wigan wonderkid showcases his ‘special’ talent.
“I watch him in training. I watch him linking with Patrick (Roberts) and Amad (Diallo). It’s amazing talent,” Mowbray adds. “He just needs to understand how our team play, what’s the demands on him.
“He’s a young boy that’s always been behind Bamford and Rodrigo. He’s a young kid that is given 10 minutes every few weeks. For him to come in and play 70, 80, 90 minutes every three days is a huge ask.
“He’s only a baby really. But he’s a wonderful talent.”
Gelhardt may not have scored – unlike former Leeds starlet Jack Clarke. But he was a constant menace in Sunderland’s 3-0 win away at QPR on Tuesday night; hassling and harrying the home defence in a manner that will be reminiscent to Elland Road supporters who fell madly in love with Gelhardt during his eye-catching emergence 12 months ago.
Sunderland are now fifth in the Championship. There is a mere three point gap between themselves and local rivals Middlesbrough in third.
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