Sunderland: Watson could be Stewart heir

Sunderland lined up with out a pure centre-forward of their beginning XI for the fourth straight Championship match as they misplaced 2-1 to Swansea on Saturday.

Ellis Simms picked up an harm within the 3-0 win over Studying in September and joined Scottish striker Ross Stewart on the sidelines, leaving Tony Mowbray with out an out-and-out quantity 9 to name upon.

Within the subsequent four matches, the Black Cats have picked up three factors and scored simply three objectives – together with one of their final three – because the likes of Amad Diallo, Jack Clarke, Elliot Embleton, and Alex Pritchard have been tasked with filling the void up entrance.

Mowbray has not dipped into the academy set-up to carry a teenager as much as fill the opening left by Stewart and Simms however there are just a few choices within the youth ranks who’ve the potential to make the grade sooner or later.

While they could not be capable to assist the membership with their present issues on the high finish of the pitch, Sunderland have quite a lot of proficient children on the Academy of Mild.

Was it a mistake to not signal one other striker?

One participant who may very well be the long run inheritor to Stewart’s throne within the quantity 9 place is 16-year-old academy phenomenon Tom Watson.

The attacker performed 19 instances within the U18 Premier League final season and caught the attention with eight objectives and one help, which is a formidable return provided that he solely turned 16 in April.

Journalist Josh Bunting picked up on his type shortly after his sixteenth birthday, Tweeting: “Tom Watson is a participant to keep watch over, he’s scored for Sunderland 18’s towards Leeds this afternoon, that’s three objectives in his final 4 video games, makes it stick up high, solely 16 so may be very a lot new in 18’s soccer however has taken it to it like a duck to water, pure finisher.”

The ahead has kicked on once more this time period and loved a elegant begin to the season. He has scored four objectives and supplied two assists in 5 U18 Premier League appearances, while he has additionally been known as upon in two Premier League 2 matches for the U21s.

Watson, who can play out on the left or via the center as a striker, has proven nice promise at U18 degree and is making huge strides within the academy at such a younger age.

In fact, it isn’t a certainty that he’ll be capable to translate his beautiful type to U21 or senior degree nevertheless it does present that the potential is there for him to be a goalscorer for the membership sooner or later.

If he can proceed to develop and hone his abilities as he beneficial properties extra expertise then he may develop right into a participant able to changing Stewart on the Stadium of Mild if Mowbray decides to unearth his expertise in a yr, or in just a few years, as he has proven glimpses of the goalscoring prowess he possesses.