Mike Dodds has provided an update on Tommy Watson after he was named in Sunderland’s squad to face Watford.
Tommy Watson hasn’t made an appearance for Sunderland since he was handed his debut by Tony Mowbray over a year ago.
The winger has now been an unused substitute three times this term, but fans have urged Mike Dodds to give him some minutes with nothing to play for in the Championship.
Watson has really impressed for the U21s, netting eight goals and providing three assists in 16 matches.
With the likes of Nottingham Forest showing interest in his signature, supporters are eager to see him given some first-team football to convince him to remain at the Stadium of Light and prepare him for more action next season.
Dodds resisted fans’ encouragement until he saw Watson put on an impressive performance against Liverpool U21s last week, earning him a place on the bench at Vicarage Road.
Tommy Watson is still training with the first-team
The interim coach has now provided an update on Watson ahead of the final day clash with Sheffield Wednesday.
Speaking to Sunderland Echo, he said: “I felt that when I watched Tommy Watson for the U21s earlier in the week that week that he deserved an opportunity to be in and around the squad,” Dodds said.
“He’s been training with us lately and will do so again next week, so we’ll see how he does then.
“Tommy is making progress, he was one of the strong performances against Liverpool in that U21s game. I’d spoken to him about, I thought he’d performed really well for the U18s and so logically, the next step for him was to perform consistently well in the U21s.
“He performed well on Monday – that level of consistency has not always been there as much as we would like. He’s a good player, a talented boy and one that we’ve just got to keep working with as a club. Hopefully he can go on that similar trajectory to some of the academy boys that we have here.”
Can Watson impress in front of his potential future coach?
Sunderland are only really playing for pride this weekend, though they may want to claim all three points if they are to have any chance at nicking Danny Rohl away from Sheffield Wednesday.
However, with the Black Cats having lost two games on the bounce now, changes should be made and players like Tommy Watson deserve a chance to prove themselves.
With Jack Clarke likely to be on his way out, the 17-year-old could be handed more first-team opportunities next season and it could be a vital boost for him to get a taste of senior football for the first time in a year.
It would also be interesting for him to play in front of Rohl, just in case the German coach is in charge in a matter of months.