Sunderland boss Michael Beale has offered some insight into his striker selection over the coming weeks.
Sunderland host Plymouth Argyle at the Stadium of Light this weekend.
It promises to be another exciting game and one that’s certainly winnable for the Black Cats, with Plymouth currently sitting in 22nd place of the away form table.
Three points could lift Sunderland right back into the top six and further alleviate that early pressure on Beale, whose side have gone unbeaten in their last two now.
And ahead of tomorrow’s game, Beale has offered some insight into what his front line might look like.
Nazariy Rusyn set to feature over the coming weeks
Speaking ahead of this weekend, Beale had already suggested that teen star Chris Rigg would come into his thinking, and now the Sunderland boss has said that Nazariy Rusyn will also feature heavily.
Speaking to the club, Beale said of the Ukrainian:
“He is right in my thoughts to play across the front three, he’s a bit of a wideman and not just a number nine.
“It would be unfair of me to say that Naz is just a number nine because he likes to pull wide, he likes to dribble, and his energy is really good.
“You’re certainly going to see Rusyn playing over the next three games.”
Summer signing Rusyn has been a talking point throughout the season, but he’s recently come into scoring form, with a goal in the last outing vs Middlesbrough and a couple for the U21s in a recent win over Leeds United.
Attacking options starting to look more fruitful for Michael Beale
Sunderland not having a proper, out and out no.9 has been a theme over the past year at least.
The club does have players but none that have ever replaced the goals of Ross Stewart, meaning that there’s been huge pressure on names like Rusyn to deliver the goods.
And it’s been difficult. He arrived in England with no experience of the British game and with two goals in 14 league outings so far, it’s certainly been a tough maiden season on Wearside.
But he’s certainly starting to show signs of a really promising player. Not only that but Luis Hemir has been turning heads for the U21s of late, with many thinking that in six months or a year’s time, he’ll be a really dangerous striker for Sunderland.
Whether or not Mason Burstow keeps his starting spot this weekend remains to be seen. Rusyn maybe showed that he’s more useful as an impact player against Middlesbrough, but with Burstow only on loan, Beale might want to give his permanent players more exposure ahead of next season.
Tomorrow’s game kicks off at 3pm.