Ex-Black Cats boss Tony Mowbray will face one of his former favourites when his West Brom host Sunderland on Saturday.
Regis Le Bris’ side are gearing up for this weekend’s Championship clash against Tony Mowbray’s West Brom.
After Sunderland’s1-0 win over Millwall, they remain cemented in fourth place as they hunt for Premier League promotion, while Mowbray’s side currently occupies the final place in the play-offs.
Mowbray was a firm fan-favourite during his 14 months on Wearside, after replacing Alex Neil, taking his young Black Cats side agonisingly close to the Championship play-off final in the 2022/23 campaign.
During Mowbray’s 65-game Sunderland stint, there was one star in particular – often criticised by Sunderland fans – that the football veteran lauded with praise, who he will be dreading facing during this weekend’s reunion at The Hawthorns.
Tony Mowbray believes Patrick Roberts is a ‘Premier League talent’
One of Mowbray’s beloved Black Cats stars during his time as boss was tricky winger Patrick Roberts.
Now 28-year-old Roberts enjoyed his most productive campaign to date, since his 2016/17 Celtic season, under former boss Mowbray.
Roberts’ best season in red and white culminated in him notching five goals and seven assists while striking up an impressive partnership with Manchester United loanee Amad Diallo.
Mowbray was mystified as to how Sunderland had managed to secure a player of Roberts’ calibre during the club’s League One stint.
He said per Sunderland Nation: “I find it hard to understand how Patrick Roberts was in League One, because his talent is Premier League.
“Managers can’t teach Patrick Roberts to skip past players like he does, stick the ball through people’s legs and then bend it in the corner, but I can teach him about his positional play and how hard he has to work and I can drive him really tough.
“If he’s 25 now, Patrick, he’s potentially got five, six, seven, years if he wants to get to the Premier League.”
The former Manchester City youngster has seemed back to his best of late, with Roberts’ outstanding display against Millwall a sign of the dynamism Mowbray adored and allowed to flourish.
Patrick Roberts can achieve goal Tony Mowbray set him
Mowbray saw Roberts as a Premier League level player and gave him a free role in his Sunderland side as the perfect platform to produce his best.
He added: “I see my job as to inspire young men, really, to help them get better. I can connect with human beings and young guys and try to help them fight and work hard and understand positions on a football pitch.”
Roberts endured a torrid term on Wearside in the aftermath of Mowbray’s immediate departure and has been at times this season heavily critiqued for his unreliable levels of consistency and lack of goals.
Le Bris views Roberts just as highly as Mowbray did, with the right-winger featuring in all 38 Championship affairs for Sunderland this season. Despite some of Roberts’ performances being bemoaned this term, he sits third in the Black Cats’ ranks for the highest goals and assists combined this season so far (9).
| Key statistic | Patrick Roberts in 2024-25 Championship |
| Games played | 38 (33 starts) |
| Goals | 2 |
| Assists | 7 |
| Chances created | 63 |
| Successful dribbles | 64 |
If Roberts can find his shooting boots once again and rediscover the form he exhibited under Mowbray during the Championship run-in, then he could propel Sunderland to promotion glory and finally realise the ambitions set by his former Black Cats boss.