"I can see both sides of the argument" - Ex-Sunderland player urges Tony Mowbray to make big decision on Leeds United loanee: The verdict | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World's 'The Verdict' series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Former Sunderland player Stephen Elliot believes that Tony Mowbray should consider dropping Leeds United loanee Joe Gelhardt.

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The 20-year-old joined the club on loan late in the January transfer window and has so far made 10 league appearances.

In those matches, he has just one goal, though, and now, Elliot has called for a change in personnel up front for the club.

In his Sunderland Echo column, he wrote: “Gelhardt is a good player and I believe he will go on and have a top career, but it just doesn’t seem to be working for him at the moment.

"I think he has a clever football brain, and he takes up decent positions, but I feel it may be time to give somebody else a run up there.

“He looks like a player whose confidence is shot to pieces in front of goal and continuing to start him may do him more damage than good.

"He is snatching at chances, and it may suit him to come on against a tiring defence late on, rather than have the pressure on him from the off.”

With the above comments in mind, below, three FLW writers have delivered their verdict on whether or not Sunderland should indeed drop the Leeds loan man.

Ben Wignall

I can see both sides of the argument on this one.

Sunderland brought Gelhardt in to score goals and the expectation was that the drop down to the Championship would help facilitate that.

So far though, he has netted just once and he has had plenty of chances to find the back of the net - there has been just one contest he hasn't had a shot in and that was against Sheffield United.

It's perhaps difficult for Gelhardt with so much expectation on him, especially with Ross Stewart out of action, and perhaps he is suffering because of that.

If you drop him though, who comes in? Sunderland don't have any depth in that area whatsoever and it would mean an attacking midfielder or winger taking his spot as a 'false nine' and that is perhaps not the best move to make.

Sunderland should therefore stick with Gelhardt as it's likely he will come good before the end of the season.

George Dagless

I feel quite torn over this one.

He's a young player and he is going to have ups and downs in his career and obviously he would like to be scoring more goals than he is.

Sunderland look set to miss out on the play-offs now in all truth and so it feels like it could be a good time to perhaps let someone else come in and have a go and see what they do.

Ultimately, with Ross Stewart's injury the Black Cats have naturally found it hard to replace him and I think Gelhardt was always going to find it difficult going to get that amount of goals straight away.

It's all down to what Tony Mowbray thinks is best for the player and club, and he'll probably be thinking about planning for next season so that might impact his decision here.

Simmey Hannifin-Donaldson

It's a really tough one this.

There's no doubt that Sunderland would have been expecting more from Gelhardt, and, ordinarily, you'd certainly bring him out of the side for someone else.

The problem is, Sunderland did not bring in another striker after Ross Stewart's season ending injury, meaning Gelhardt is really the only option to play up front that would be considered a natural in the position.

Of course, Sunderland are blessed with attacking talent out wide and one of those could come in, but I don't think Gelhardt is playing so bad that you'd rather have a completely unnatural forward through the middle.

Ultimately, Sunderland made their bed by not bringing in another striker in January and now they have to lay in it.