Hardly had anything to do in the first half and barely touched the ball. Looks physically imposing but really hard to make a judgement from that performance. Misplaced the odd kick in the second half but his distribution recovered and he played some decent balls Was called into action in the second half once or twice but coped well. 7 placeholder image
Hardly had anything to do in the first half and barely touched the ball. Looks physically imposing but really hard to make a judgement from that performance. Misplaced the odd kick in the second half but his distribution recovered and he played some decent balls Was called into action in the second half once or twice but coped well. 7 | Getty Images

'Exciting' - James Copley's Sunderland player ratings as Cats faced South Shields - including three 9s

James Copley
By James Copley

Sunderland AFC writer; Sunderland Echo

Published 13th Jul 2024, 14:24 GMT
Updated 13th Jul 2024, 15:02 GMT

Sunderland faced South Shields in the first of two pre-season friendlies today - here’s how James Copley rated Régis Le Bris’ players after the game.

The Black Cats thrashed South Shields at the 1st Cloud Arena with plenty of first-team interest and food for thought for new head coach Régis Le Bris to mull over.

Sunderland’s new head coach took charge of his first game since his summer arrival from French club Lorient with the Black Cats 5-0 up by half-time with a poor South Shields side providing little resistance. The scores stayed the same in the second half despite multiple changes for both sides.

Here, we take a look at how James Copley rated Sunderland’s players against South Shields:

Assured on the ball as usual but didn’t have much time to impact the game in an attacking sense. 6

17. Harrison Jones

Assured on the ball as usual but didn’t have much time to impact the game in an attacking sense. 6 Photo: Chris Fryatt

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Didn't have the chance to do much when brought on but showed some decent touches and flashes of quality. 6

18. Rhys Walsh

Didn't have the chance to do much when brought on but showed some decent touches and flashes of quality. 6 | Rhys Walsh

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Played in the middle when brought on. Tidy on the ball and it's easy to see why Sunderland have kept him at the club and signed him to a new deal. 6

19. Cuba Mitchell

Played in the middle when brought on. Tidy on the ball and it's easy to see why Sunderland have kept him at the club and signed him to a new deal. 6 | Cuba Mitchell

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Replaced Rigg midway through the second half and looked very lively. Carries the ball well. 7

20. Caden Kelly

Replaced Rigg midway through the second half and looked very lively. Carries the ball well. 7 Photo: Chris Fryatt

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Related topics:Player ratingsSunderlandCatsSouth Shields
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