Cats stars you can expect to see more of mid season run-in
Tony Mowbray confirmed after the draw to Luton Town that he would look to give more game time to the youngsters who by and large have been on the fringes of his starting XI this season.
That did come with one major caveat, which was that he wouldn't do so to the extent where it would potentially impact results.
He knows the importance of maintaining a positivity around the club heading into next season, and that requires a certain level of experience and proven ability in his side.
But who could be in line for minutes along the way? We run you through…
JOE ANDERSON
Anderson's only competitive appearance since signing from Everton came in the latter stages of the draw with Millwall, after Dennis Cirkin suffered a concussion.
That in itself is no great surprise, as the club made clear that this was along-term signingand that the 22- year-old has work to do in developing physically to be ready for Championship football.
Competition in defensive areas is significant, particularly given Luke O'Nien's form, but Anderson is a player Mowbray and Sunderland will surely want to see in a Championship environment before the season.
PIERRE EKWAH
Ekwah played well against Luton Town in his late cameo, and is a player Sunderland will want to see more of as they weigh up some big decisions in terms of the make-up of their midfield group heading into next season.
Mowbray says Ekwah has all the technical ability to to be a big success, but needs to quicken up his game and use his physicality more as he transitions from youth football to the second tier.
His cautious approach to integrating him has made sense in a pressurised environment, but before the season is out it would be a major surprise if he wasn't given at least a couple of starts.
NIALL HUGGINS
Huggins will in an all likelihood have a fairly limited involvement between now and the end of the season, as Sunderland are determined not to push him too quickly and suffer any further setbacks ahead of a really important pre-season campaign for him.
But he's now been training for a couple of weeks and has completed 45 minutes in the Under-21s, and if he's able to maintain that progress there's every chance of him being rewarded at least with a place in the squad and perhaps some minutes.
JEWISON BENNETTE
Ben net te' sr el at iv ely limited game time this season has been partly due to him adapting to a new league, country and language, and also quite simply because Jack Clarke has been so impressively consistent with his output this season.
Mow bray has signal led that Ben net te will be one of those to get greater playing time before the season ends, though his involvement at Burnley could be impacted by the fact he will be involved with Costa Rica just days before that fixture.
Sunderland finished the Luton game with Bennette playing through the middle in a 3-5-2, giving Mowbray another way of getting the youngster on the pitch moving forward.
ISAAC LIHADJI
Li hadji' s involvement since signing from Lille has been limited, which Mowbray has explained his much less about talent and more about communication.
The winger's English is at this stage very limited and so getting across the tactical detail required for him to start games with confidence about fitting into the team structure is challenging. There have been brief cameos from the bench in which he has shown his obvious ability; pace and an ability to beat players.
There is an all likelihood goingto be a significant gap left in this team' s attacking fire power when Amad returns to Manchester United this summer, and M ow bray needs to develop
a better sense where possible if Lihadji and Abdoullah Ba are ready at this stage to step in.
CHRIS RIGG
Rigg's two remarkably impressive FA Cup appearances, as well as the regular transfer talk that has gone on ever since he began to break through at Sunderland, mean he needs no introduction here. M ow bray regularly has him training with the first team when not at school, and has made clear that he's there on merit.
Alex Pritchard's return from injury means that Mowbray has a number of forwardthinking midfielders and he
won't want to risk positive results by upsetting the balance of the side too much, particularly in the challenging schedule immediately after the break - but Rigg will surely be back in the squad at some stage before the end of the campaign.
TOM WATSON
Watson has this week been called up to the England Under-17s squad for their upcoming European Championship qualifiers, a sign of the rapid progress the winger has made.
He has been part of the senior squad for FA Cup games, and though he is yet to make his debut that involvement is recognition of how he is seen as a player with a big future.
It would be no surprise to see him in the squad and perhaps even make a debut.
ZAK JOHNSON
With Lynden Gooch fit again, Mowbray's defensive options are looking relatively strong for the run-in.
One or two injuries though could likely bring Johnson into the squad, as his consistent U nd er-21s performances mean he is often one of those brought up to train with the first-team squad when required. Tall and quick, he can operate anywhere on the right of defence.