'They deserve...' - Gary Bennett delivers verdict on Sunderland promotion prospects ahead of Leeds United trip

Sunderland legend Gary Bennett has insisted that the Black Cats are “serious contenders” to win promotion to the Premier League this season.

The Wearsiders have surpassed the expectations of many by playing their way into a promising position under head coach Regis Le Bris, and find themselves just three points adrift of the top two heading into the final stretch of the campaign.

Alongside them, Leeds United, Burnley, and Sheffield United are in contention for automatic promotion too, but while the Black Cats may not be as fancied as some of the clubs in their immediate vicinity, Bennett is of the belief that they have every chance of making a long-awaited return to the top flight this summer.

Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: "Sunderland have got some really, really talented players, and they are serious contenders to go up. Any Sunderland fan would have snapped your hand to be fourth at this stage of the season.

"But it's not by luck, they deserve to be there and they could have been even higher. There are lots of games you look at and can think 'if only' - the missed penalties at Burnley, at home to Coventry and Plymouth, Millwall away. But that's the season. You have to earn the right in football."

Addressing the testing matches that Sunderland still have to play between now and the end of the season, including an unenviable trip to face Leeds at Elland Road later this month, he added: "We've got these big games coming up, but it's a test for the opposition as well and I think we've played better away from home.

"We've taken four points off Burnley and we should have won at Turf Moor. We missed a pen at Sheffield United and ended up losing late on when we should have won. So these sides will know they're in for a good game against Sunderland."

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The Black Cats also boast one of the most youthful squads across the entirety of the Championship, but Bennett believes that the precociousness of Le Bris’ squad can be as much of a boost as it may be a hindrance. He said: "It's a very talented team and they've surprised a lot of people.

"Look at the midfield - Jobe Bellingham, still only 19 and capturing everyone's imagination, Dan Neil the captain, 23, Chris Rigg, 17, a boy, Tommy Watson, only a year older. We talk about experience and have they got enough? But by playing, they'll make mistakes, they will learn and hopefully come on stronger."

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