The Sunderland players in contention to start on opening day as Tony Mowbray sets out selection plan

At the conclusion of Sunderland's tour of the US, Tony Mowbray spoke of beginning to focus more closely on establishing his starting XI for the opening day of the Championship.

Mowbray has up until this point struck a balance between youth and experience for each of his pre-season teams, but that is likely to change when RCD Mallorca visit the Stadium of Light this weekend.

So who have emerged as the frontrunners for a place over the course of pre season, and which positions might still be up for grabs? We take a closer look...

GOALKEEPER

No doubt about this one - 16-year-old Matty Young had an excellent debut against New Mexico United but Anthony Patterson will be between the goalposts against Ipswich Town and beyond, looking to build on his exceptional first campaign at Championship level.

The only real question here is whether Sunderland will be able to recruit senior backup before the campaign begins, or whether they will have to wait until later in the window.

Manchester United's Nathan Bishop is a strong option and though he is currently on tour with Erik ten Hag's side in the US, Andre Onana's arrival could eventually mean his departure is sanctioned. Possible starter: Patterson

DEFENCE

Injuries have made this position quite hard to call. Aji Alese is out for the start of the season and while the problem is not thought to be serious, Jenson Seelt suffering an ankle knock on his debut could yet hamper his chances.

It leaves Danny Batth in a strong position to start the campaign despite the speculation over his long-term future, potentially reprising his encouraging partnership with Dan Ballard from last season. Luke O'Nien and Nectar Triantis are Mowbray's other options and both have had good minutes through pre-season.

At full back, it would be a surprise if Trai Hume is not selected given his form over the last six months but the exact make-up of the back four will likely depend on how Dennis Cirkin fares in te next week. Cirkin is close to making a return from injury and trained with the side in the US, but hasn't yet been able to get any minutes under his belt.

If the game against Ipswich comes just too soon, then Lynden Gooch or O'Nien would likely be asked to fill in there as they have done through the pre-season fixtures. Possible starters: Hume, Ballard, Batth, Cirkin

CENTRAL MIDFIELD

Both Jay Matete and Jobe Bellingham have impressed in their pre-season appearances, and Mowbray said after the win against North Carolina that the injury Matete picked up in that game was not serious.

It still feels as if Dan Neil and Pierre Ekwah are the players in pole position, though. Neil now has considerable experience playing as the deeper midfielder at Championship level and while Mowbray has more than once publicly urged Ekwah not to drop back into old habits in recent weeks, he is doing so from a place of real affection. After months of work urging the midfielder to use his physicality and get up to the pace of senior football, Mowbray watched on in delight as the 21-year-old finished the campaign in superb form. There have been more than flashes of that level already, including one outstanding goal against New Mexico United.

Bellingham is of course very much a contender to play as a ten as he did against Gateshead in his first Sunderland appearance, but in the US he dropped a little deeper. For now, you'd think Ekwah and Neil will get the chance to pick up where they left off - but the competition is significant. One interesting theme of pre season so far is that the central midfield roles have been pretty fluid, with either Neil or Matete given the licence to burst forward from deep. It can leave Sunderland a touch vulnerable to the break, but is also a real attacking weapon.

Whether that continues into the competitive action, only time will tell.

Possible starters: Neil, Ekwah

ATTACKING MIDFIELD

Though there has been some degree of uncertainty over both of their futures over the course of this summer, both Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts have been in excellent form over the course of pre season and look very settled on Wearside ahead of the new campaign.

Given their output last season it would be a major surprise if either missed out at the start of the campaign, particularly as Isaac Lihadji has been linked with a move to Qatar and Jewison Bennette has often been used up front when Hemir has been rotated out of the pre-season fixtures.

Far harder to ascertain is who will play as the ten. Bellingham is an option as discussed above, as is Abdoullah Ba. Chris Rigg, meanwhile, has emphatically taken his chance to impress in a more advanced role and shown impressive goalscoring instincts. Mowbray said after the win over San Antonio that the 16-year-old was emerging as a genuine first-team contender.

All three will have to work hard to edge out Alex Pritchard, though. Pritchard looked sharp and determined to stake his claim in a superb performance against New Mexico United, and his consistency will be tempting for Mowbray given how strong he expects Ipswich Town to be this season. Possible starters: Roberts, Pritchard, Clarke

STRIKER

Hemir has made an encouraging start to life up front for Sunderland, continuing his good goalscoring form in the US. He clearly has good striking instincts and his link-up play is impressive.

With Ross Stewart still working his way back from an achilles injury, Hemir is the clear contender to lead the line against Ipswich Town.

Mowbray has made clear on numerous occasions through pre season that he wants another striker in the building, wary of putting too much pressure on Hemir as he adjusts to Championship football. With uncertainty over Stewart's long-term future persisting, it's a position where there still feels a lot of vulnerability ahead of the new campaign for Sunderland. Possible starter: Hemir