Tony Mowbray says Patrick Roberts is so talented it is 'scary' - and has challenged him to produce the end product that Sunderland need while Ross Stewart is out of action. Roberts left Manchester City to join Sunderland on a short-term deal in January, and after helping the club win promotion to the Championship he signed a new two-year contract in the summer.
So far, however, he has started only one league game this term, and that came when he was drafted into the side at short notice when Stewart suffered an injury in the warm-up at Middlesbrough last week. Roberts has been on the periphery largely because of the system that previous boss Alex Neil opted to play, and which Mowbray stuck with when he took over.
But with leading scorer Stewart expected to be missing for between six and eight weeks with a thigh injury - and with no direct replacement to partner on-loan Everton man Ellis Simms - Mowbray is likely to change formation, and that could see attacking midfielder Roberts given more opportunities in the weeks ahead. "I don't think anybody can deny the talent that Patrick Roberts has," said Mowbray, whose side takes on Reading at the Madejski Stadium tonight.
