BBC pundit Nick Barnes has hailed one Sunderland man, who recently earned praise from Marco Gabbiadini as well.
Sunderland are back on the road this weekend where they face Watford at Vicarage Road, following an impressive 1-0 win vs Middlesbrough at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
The Black Cats go into this weekend’s round of fixtures in 2nd place of the Championship table having won five of their opening six league games under Regis Le Bris.
Watford meanwhile sit in 8th and are winless in their last three league fixtures, losing 2-1 vs Manchester City in the Carabao Cup in midweek.
The Boro performance will have spurred on the Sunderland first-team squad, with the game highlighting several impressive individuals.
Manchester United target Chris Rigg caught the eye with his match-winning goal, whilst deadline day signing Chris Mepham also put in a solid performance in what was his debut.
- READ MORE: ‘Sort it out’… Manager linked with Sunderland over the summer facing backlash after five games
Nick Barnes hails Chris Mepham performance vs Middlesbrough
Sunderland signed Mepham on loan from Bournemouth on deadline day following the injury to Aji Alese.
And a slight knock to Dan Ballard meant that Mepham started alongside Luke O’Nien against Middlesbrough.
Speaking earlier this week, Marco Gabbiadini hailed Mepham’s performance v Middlesbrough, and fellow BBC pundit Nick Barnes has now given his verdict on the 26-year-old Welsh international.
Barnes said on Total Sport: “I thought he was very composed. I though he looked exactly what they feel they’ve taken on loan.
“Someone with experience, who wasn’t ruffled, who went through the motions on Saturday against Middlesbrough comfortably, and looked classy.
“I think he was understated in lots of ways because everyone was talking Rigg and other players, yet I thought Mepham cruised through the game.”
- READ MORE: Pundit tells Sunderland fans why they’ll love Aaron Connolly, and why opposition teams hate him
Chris Mepham can play key role for Sunderland this season
Whether or not Mepham becomes a regular starter remains to be seen; and it doesn’t really matter for Le Bris either.
The most important thing here is that Le Bris now knows he has a very dependable and experienced back up option in the middle of defence.
O’Nien and Ballard still looks like the Frenchman’s preferred choice. But if one is unavailable to start or feature at all, as was the case vs Boro, then Le Bris knows he has a solid option in Mepham.
And if one of O’Nien or Ballard spends a lot of time on the sidelines then Mepham could well cement his place in the XI.
Watford vs Sunderland kicks off at 3pm on Saturday.