Tony Mowbray has admitted that Luis Semedo isn’t used to the level of physicality required in Sunderland’s pre-season training.
The Black Cats boss discussed the progress of the club’s new signings ahead of their double-header against Gateshead and South Shields this weekend.
The striker is one of Sunderland’s four summer signings so far, joining from Benfica after making 18 appearances for their B team last season.
Semedo has no senior experience under his belt and will be hoping pre-season allows him to adapt quickly to English football, though Mowbray believes it has been an eye-opener for the teenager.
“It’s been a little eye-opener for Hemir I think, coming from Portugese football,” Mowbray told safc.com.
“He’s a big 6ft 4 boy and I’m not sure he’s been used to the level of physical stuff we’ve been doing but he’s a nice kid and he’s adapting well. He understands that he needs to get his workload up.
“Technically he is very good, in training he’s making really good decisions with the ball at his feet. He can finish, too.
“I’m looking forward to getting these games started and seeing how he does.”
Luis Semedo isn’t the only player that needs time to adapt at Sunderland
Luis Semedo certainly isn’t the only player that still needs time to adapt to Championship football, with Nectarios Triantis and Jensen Seelt also making their first move to England this summer.
The pair have both played more regular football so far in their short career, however all will be experiencing a big culture shock in their move to Wearside and it is a big change moving to a different country at such a young age.
Similarly, Jewison Bennette is still looking to reach the levels required from the Championship almost a year on from his move from Costa Rica.
The Black Cats have chosen to bring in all these foreign players and now need to be patient in allowing them to develop and grow.