Catts purring over displays of young star

JOEL Asoro can cause ‘havoc’ as an out-and-out striker or from wide positions - giving Sunderland boss Chris Coleman a decision to make on how to get the best out of him.

That is the view of Lee Cattermole, who believes the teenager was the key to the Black Cats’ incredible comeback at Bristol City last weekend.

Sunderland trailed 3-0 at halftime at Ashton Gate and looked dead and buried.

However, midfielder Cattermole headed against the bar and saw the ball rebound in off a defender, then set up Aiden McGeady to make it 3-2, before Asoro’s positive running forced another own-goal in injurytime to salvage a point.

Now Coleman has a tricky call to make over Asoro ahead of Sunderland’s game against Brentford tomorrow.

Cattermole said: “Joel has played through the middle and caused havoc and on Saturday he had not really shown until he did what he did from a wide position.

“It is difficult for the manager to then work out what his best position is.

“That is all the stuff we are trying to work out - where is best to put people to get the best out of them but Joel is different class.

“He has that pass to beat a man in the final third and I think that is what really changed it for us.

“We put crosses into the box in the second half.”

Captain Cattermole (pictured below) is Sunderland’s longestserving player, now in his ninth season with the club, and his time on Wearside has overlapped with more players than anyone else in the Black Cats’ history.

The Wearsiders are fighting for their lives in the Championship relegation zone but the 29-year-old believes the five new signings who arrived in January - Ashley Fletcher, Jake Clarke-Salter, Lee Camp, Ovie Ejaria and Kazenga LuaLua - will help the club reach safety.

He added: “There has been a lot of change again in January and the mood is very good.

“Despite the season we have had there are lot of positives, the younger players coming through which is exciting, and everybody wants to be here - which is big for the gaffer. “The lads he has brought in are all good lads and they willl be looking to use this as a platform to show the boss what they are all about.”