Edouard Michut has played himself into contention as Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray searches for a replacement for Corry Evans this weekend. The Black Cats take on Wigan Athletic at the Stadium of Light on Saturday but must face the Latics without skipper Evans, with the Northern Ireland international serving a one-match ban after accumulating five yellow cards this season.
Mowbray is still mulling over his options to replace Evans, with players such as Abdoullah Ba and Jay Matete in the frame depending on how he decides to approach the game. Mowbray was at Sunderland's U21 game against Leeds United U21 on Monday night when Ba, Matete, and Michut were among the first-teamers to complete the full 90 minutes, but it was 19-year-old Paris St Germain loanee Michut he singled out for praise.
"My dilemma is really 'what are we going to do with that?' said Mowbray, when asked about the need to find a replacement for Evans this weekend. "Are we going to replace Corry with a real technician?
READ MORE: Tony Mowbray on why he let Sunderland's 'vital cog' Corry Evans leave Blackburn
"If you watched the U21 game against Leeds, Michut was really good in that game. What a lovely footballer, passing the ball through the lines, he was competitive, and he covered 13km in that game, and was a huge figure.
"He's showing me that he is not far away from being a first-team footballer. Do we bring [Dennis] Cirkin back in and try to rearrange the midfield?
"Do we have another midfielder who can do what Corry does? How many defensive-minded midfield players do you need in a team?
"Or, because it is Wigan and their main strength is getting the ball wide and putting it into your box, the best way to stop that is to try and keep the ball away from them so do we have lots of technical players that try to hold onto the ball rather than turn it over all the time. We'll make that call.
"We've got two days now of total preparation for this game."
Evans was a key man for Sunderland in the second half of last season as the Black Cats earned promotion via the play-offs and his experience has been invaluable when making the step up to the Championship, and Mowbray admits that whatever solution he comes up with this weekend, the 32-year-old will be missed. He said: "Corry is our skipper.
"The consistency of his performances has been important. He is a player who does what it says on the tin, as far as I'm concerned.
"He mops up behind all the clever little technicians we have higher up the pitch. He has always been very good at anticipating situations, he is an international footballer, and of course we'll miss him.
"We'll miss the vocal side of his game as well as what he brings with his feet. It's just another thing to adapt to - suspensions and injuries are part of football and we have to accept it."
Evans will be available again for Tuesday's night's trip to Ewood Park to face to his - and Mowbray's - former club Blackburn Rovers.
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