Adil Aouchiche looks set to make his first senior start for Sunderland.
As per The Northern Echo, Mark Venus has admitted that he ‘deserves’ to be close to the team after an impressive start to life on Wearside.
Adil Aouchiche made 11 appearances in Ligue 1 for Lorient, but failed to score a senior goal ahead of his switch to the Championship.
The Frenchman arrived on transfer deadline day, but failed to make his debut for Sunderland until the 3-1 win over QPR in mid-September.
Tony Mowbray previously revealed that Aouchiche was set for his first start for the club against Leicester City after a number of impressive cameos, however the midfielder was forced out due to injury.
Aouchiche went onto score his first goal for the club after coming on against Birmingham City, and the Black Cats’ defeat to Plymouth Argyle at the weekend could now hand the 21-year-old an opportunity in the starting line-up tonight.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference, assistant coach Mark Venus said: “He has to be close to the team, he deserves that.
“I think of all the players [we brought in over the summer], I think he’s the one who seems to have settled in the quickest. He’s a talented boy and his performances from the bench, I think he’s made everyone take notice. I think you have to take notice of him.
“He scored a brilliant goal for us [against Birmingham City], he’s created opportunities, he went very close for us against Plymouth.
“He influences the team when he’s on the pitch, he’s a talented individual. He’s important to us, you can see that. He’s getting stronger and better as you can see from watching the games.”
Can Adil Aouchiche spark the fire needed in Sunderland’s attack?
Adil Aouchiche has made a huge impact every time he has been subbed on this season, making 1.6 key passes per game – less than only Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts.
With the team currently struggling in front of goal, a confident figure in Aouchiche could definitely benefit us.
While Jobe Bellingham did have a break from international duty, he could probably also do with a brief spell on the bench and there looks to be no better replacement than Aouchiche.
A home clash against a struggling Huddersfield Town side is the perfect opportunity to make some changes and offer outside players the chance to impress and get some goals or assists under their belt.
Eliezer Mayenda should also be purring at the thought of playing in front of a backline that has conceded 29 goals in 17 games if he is given his first start too.