Eye-catching international display suggests Sunderland signing can be important weapon for Tony Mowbray: Opinion | OneFootball

The international break can be a frustrating time for fans of Championship clubs but there is plenty for the Sunderland faithful to be excited about after Costa Rica’s 2-2 draw with South Korea.

It was a busy summer at the Stadium of Light as the Black Cats looked to bolster their squad ahead of their return to the second tier.

10 new signings were added to the Sunderland squad – with a clear focus on bringing in young players with big potential. Among those was Jewison Bennette, an 18-year-old winger that joined from Costa Rican top tier side CS Herediano.

Little was known about the teenager when he first arrived in a seven-figure move and we’ve not seen much from him in a red and white shirt just yet, though he did bag the equaliser from the bench in the 2-2 draw with Watford, but his performance for Costa Rica on Friday showed he is more than just one for the future and can be an important weapon for Mowbray this season.

Bennette bagged a brace as he helped earn a draw against a fairly strong South Korea side – ghosting in at the back post after 41 minutes to cancel out Hee-chan Hwang’s opener and then arriving in the six-yard box to slam home a go-ahead goal 19 minutes into the second half.

Heung-min Son’s 86th-minute equaliser would deny Costa Rica a victory but purely from a Sunderland perspective, it was an excellent evening and one that helped to shed some more light on what supporters can expect from the attacker this season.

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He’s by no means the finished article but Friday evening’s game was further evidence that he can be a real goal threat when drifting in from wide areas, which looks likely to be particularly useful given Ross Stewart’s current injury.

With Tony Mowbray’s star striker out and Everton loanee Ellis Simms the only other number nine in the squad, the Black Cats are going to need their other attackers to contribute goals and the last week shows that Bennette does have that in his locker.

Given the impressive way the likes of Jack Clarke, Alex Pritchard, and Patrick Roberts have started the season, the 18-year-old may have to be content with substitute appearances for the time being but he looks a good option to have late in games.

With five substitutions allowed in EFL games this season and a crazily busy six weeks or so of Championship football coming up, squad depth is going to be vital for all second tier clubs but particularly those looking to keep pace in the chase for a top-six place.

Bennette’s eye-catching performance against South Korea suggested he could be a very useful weapon for Mowbray moving forward.