Patrick Van Aanholt has scored seven goals for Sunderland since the start of last season.
Sunderland boss David Moyes has told the Shields Gazette that Patrick Van Aanholt keeps getting into ‘weird positions’.
Van Aanholt is always deployed as a left-back, but his natural attacking instincts make him a weapon going forward.
The Dutch defender highlighted his goalscoring qualities once again last weekend, as he scored the winner as Sunderland beat Watford 1-0.
And Moyes said: “He’s very good at getting forward. Sometimes his last pass isn’t that good, but he comes up with a goal.
“He ends up in some weird positions sometimes for a left-back and you might even argue against Watford, how did he end up in the middle of the six-yard box to finish it off?
“But thank goodness he did because it was really important for us.”
Van Aanholt now has seven goals for Sunderland since the start of the 2015/16 campaign.
The former Chelsea man is given the freedom to charge up the pitch at will, and his pace makes him a dangerous threat.
Sunderland’s win over Watford was vital, as it has lifted the Wearsiders off the bottom of the Premier League table.
The Black Cats are now up to 18th place – and sit just one point away from safety, with their next match coming against Manchester United on Boxing Day.
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