Ex-Celtic star backed to take next step at Sunderland under Tony Mowbray

Sunderland star Patrick Roberts has been backed to further improve under the guidance of Tony Mowbray.
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Former Sunderland midfielder Alex Rae believes the club’s head coach can help Roberts take his game to the next level.

Rae was speaking to Grosvenor Sport.

He said: “On his day, he's brilliant. He needs to add to his numbers but the level of consistency he's added to the team is really encouraging. I spoke to Tony Mowbray and he seems to have settled down now.

Sunderland star Patrick Roberts has been backed to further improve under the guidance of Tony Mowbray.Sunderland star Patrick Roberts has been backed to further improve under the guidance of Tony Mowbray.
Sunderland star Patrick Roberts has been backed to further improve under the guidance of Tony Mowbray.
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"Patrick is at a good age now. He's still only 26 years old and there's a lot of room for development. He's also used to playing in front of big numbers with Sunderland having regularly got 35,000-40,000 fans so when taking that into consideration, who knows where he can go from here.

"He must be playing with confidence because he has been one of the stand-outs this season in the Championship.

"He's at the right place at the right time and under a manager like Tony Mowbray, he can really kick on.”

Sunderland host Hull City on Good Friday prior to the Easter Monday trip to Cardiff City.

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Roberts joined Sunderland in January 2022 when the club were still in League One, with the winger short of game time following a frustrating loan spell at French club Troyes.

Just over a year later the 26-year-old is a regular starter for the Black Cats in the Championship and enjoying his football again, after signing a two-year deal at the Stadium of Light last summer.

"I take experience from the disappointment of going places and not playing,” Roberts explained.