Pierre Ekwah needs to prove he is ready for the cut-and-thrust of Championship football before he is drafted into Sunderland's starting line-up, according to Tony Mowbray. The Black Cats boss is a big admirer of the midfielder, who was signed from West Ham in January, and is convinced the 21-year-old has the talent to be a big hit on Wearside.
But Ekwah had not played a minute of senior football when he arrived at Sunderland, and needs time to get to grips with the far more demanding first-team environment after spending years playing U23 and U21 football at first Chelsea and then with the Hammers. At 6ft 2in, Ekwah will add physical presence in midfield and that led to questions as to why he was not introduced in last weekend's 5-1 mauling at the hands of Stoke City at the Stadium of Light.
"There's never an agenda with me - it's about the footballer, the guy," said Mowbray, who has so far used Ekwah in just a handful of league games from the bench. "Pierre has played, I don't know, 60-plus games at U18, U21 and U23 levels.
