The international break couldn’t have come at a better time for Sunderland, all things considered, as it gives a number of their players chance to rest.
Sunderland have an awfully small squad in comparison to their rivals at the top of the Championship table, and in many ways it is this that has cost them automatic promotion this season.
Regis Le Bris discussed the need to refresh over this break after the crushing defeat against Coventry City at the weekend.
But, while his players will be recovering over this next fortnight, there is an exciting and perhaps more simple solution to the issue of Patrick Roberts’ fitness levels waiting in the wings of the Under-21 squad.
Finn Geragusian continues to flourish for Sunderland U21s
The Sunderland academy is notoriously good at producing top talent, and in Finn Geragusian, it seems the Black Cats have done it again.
While Trey Ogunsuyi normally steals the headlines with his goalscoring record at youth level, 17-year-old Geragusian is not far behind his colleague, and he does have one major advantage at his disposal in the hunt for first-team football.
Though Geragusian usually operates as a striker, he was put on the right wing by Graeme Murty for the Under-21s win over Leeds United on Monday, and ended up bagging two goals from out wide.
The Armenian talent has played there for three of the last four games, in which time he’s also picked up an assist. His tally for the season now stands at nine goals and six assists from 20 appearances.
Obviously, there’s the caveat that he’s playing for the youth team and his inexperience would naturally be a concern, but Sunderland have very little to lose at this stage of the season.
Indeed, with eight games left, Le Bris simply has to gain some momentum for his team heading into the play-offs, and giving players like Roberts a rest could be key to that.
- READ MORE: Patrick Roberts gives ‘embarrased’ Sunderland verdicts as he highlights fans ‘frustration’
Patrick Roberts desperately needs a rest
Looking at the minutes racked up by Sunderland players this season, it’s clear that Roberts has been pushed to the limits already, and then some.
The winger has played 2,788 minutes across 37 games this term, at an average of 75 minutes per game. He’s looked dead on his feet for the last few weeks, and obviously needs a rest.
The problem for Le Bris has been that he doesn’t really have any other options on the right wing. That would explain why Alan Browne was played there against Coventry; an experiment that did not work at all.
| Statistics | Patrick Roberts 2024/25 |
| Appearances | 37 |
| Minutes | 2,788 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Assists | 6 |
There’s a risk in leaving Roberts — or any established first-team star — out of the lineup, of course, but with the way results and performances have been going lately, things can’t get much worse for Sunderland.
Who knows, injecting some fresh youth prospects into the senior squad could be just the kick Sunderland need right now?