Elliot Embleton discusses his favourite position, linking up with Ross Stewart and Patrick Roberts' arrival at Sunderland

After an impressive start to the season, the 22-year-old dropped out of the starting XI following his red card against Gillingham in October.

As a result Embleton started just two of the Black Cats’ next 11 league games, with other players such as Alex Pritchard and Leon Dajaku stepping up.

"Obviously I got a red card sort of 10, 11 games in and then obviously it was just getting back up to speed with the games,” Embleton told the Echo.

“There were a few poor performances from myself in that but now I’m back in and showing what I can do.

“The team were doing well in that spell and obviously you can’t just change a team that is winning games and performing well.

“Also I just had to bide my time in training and always put the effort in and work on things I needed to work on to get back in.”

After getting back into the team Embleton formed an effective partnership with Pritchard, with head coach Lee Johnson keen to get both playmakers into the same side.

"We have been playing well together obviously apart from the Lincoln game where I think we had a poor night all round, I think we have had some good performances,” Embleton added.

“It gives you confidence playing well together and training as well, things in training and getting on the same wavelength certainly helps.

“We had some good results around Christmas time and have performed well on the pitch.”

Pritchard has since been sidelined with a calf injury and missed Sunderland’s 1-0 win over Portsmouth, with Embleton scoring the winner.

The goal came when Embleton, Dajaku and Ross Stewart applied pressure on Portsmouth defender Hayden Carter, forcing the centre-back to concede possession.

While he is also capable of playing in central midfield, Embleton is enjoying his role operating just behind Stewart, where there are more opportunities to contribute with goals and assists.

“I have played in a number of positions, out wide and a bit deeper but I do like the No 10 position,” he added.

“I can also play elsewhere, central midfield to get on the ball. I like creating more, playing higher up.

“I love playing with Ross. He’s always showing to feet and running in behind, he’s a great player.

“Up there with Leon as well, he’s got great quality on the ball so it worked quite well.”

Sunderland have also added playmaker Patrick Roberts to their squad after the 24-year-old signing a permanent deal at the Stadium of Light from Manchester City.

While some may see the signing as competition, Embleton believes Roberts can add even more to Sunderland’s attack.

"Oh yeah I can’t wait,” replied Embleton when asked if he’s looking forward to playing alongside Roberts. “He’s been at some great clubs and hopefully we can hit the ground running and keep the run going.”

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