How Tony Mowbray's Sunderland XI is shaping up and the key areas to address in transfer window

Sunderland's preparations for the new campaign are stepping up, with pre-season fixtures beginning next weekend.

So with the league campaign against Ipswich beginning in just over a month, how is Tony Mowbray's starting XI shaping up and where is there clearly still work to be done?

We take a closer look...

GOALKEEPER

Probable starter v Ipswich: Patterson

Patterson unsurprisingly has Premier League interest after such a superb campaign, but his contract runs for another three years and he is more than content with life at his boyhood club. It would take something dramatic for his position to change between now and the start of the campaign.

As it stands Alex Bass will be his deputy, but League One side Leyton Orient are interested in his signature. Sunderland would clearly need to recruit more senior cover before they could sanction a departure, but it's a position where they could potentially be some movement before the end of the window.

DEFENCE

Possible starters v Ipswich: Hume, Ballard, O'Nien, Gooch

An area of the pitch where Sunderland look very strong at the start of pre-season. Two right backs coming off the back of excellent seasons, and a glut of centre-halves after the issues that plagued the end of last season.

Dan Ballard and Danny Batth are both fit again, but Luke O'Nien's excellence mean he will be firmly in Mowbray's thinking. Then there are new additions Nectarios Triantis and Jenson Seelt, who will need time to adjust to a new environment but who will both get a chance over the course of pre-season to stake a claim.

Dennis Cirkin and Aji Alese offer excellent competition at left back, but are both currently recovering from injury. There is of course a lot of time between now and the start of the season but Lynden Gooch and Niall Huggins offer obvious cover, and if the latter stays fit then it will give Mowbray some very welcome additional depth.

West Ham United are known to be keen on signing Ballard but broadly speaking, Sunderland look just about set in defence. Though Mowbray much prefers a back four and will predominantly operate that way, the depth does mean going to a back three is a viable option should he feel the opposition requires it.

MIDFIELD

Probable starters v Ipswich: Neil, Ekwah

The pair ended the season in superb form, both bringing a blend of technical ability and tenacity out of possession. Neil adapted to the holding midfield role gradually but very impressively after Corry Evans suffered an ACL injury, while Ekwah looked a star in the making after months of work with Mowbray on the training ground helped him adjust to the physical demands of the Championship.

They look in the driving seat to start the campaign, though Jay Matete will be eager to fight his way into contention after returning from his successful loan at Plymouth Argyle. He will get his chance over the coming weeks.

Jobe Bellingham, Abdoullah Ba and Elliot Embleton are all of course contenders, but in the case of the latter two in particular Mowbray has generally preferred to deploy them further forward where the defensive responsibility isn't quite so great. Embleton of course still has work to do in his comeback from a broken leg, having not played competitive football since December.

So while very well stocked in terms of central players, there is a clear vulnerability in the more defensive role if, as Mowbray has suggested is expected, Evans misses the early stages of the season. Some cover and competition for Neil would therefore appear at this stage to be a clear priority at this stage of the window.

ATTACKING MIDFIELD

Possible starters v Ipswich: Roberts, Pritchard, Clarke

There has been Premier League interest in Jack Clarke but Sunderland do not intend to sell and the winger is happy and settled after the most productive campaign of his career to date.

He looks an absolute lock to start the campaign on the left wing, with competition and real pace from the bench from Jewison Bennette - now recovered from the shoulder injury that he suffered while on international duty in March.

It's a similar story on the right flank, where Mowbray will gradually look to integrate Isaac Lihadji with Patrick Roberts the senior winger. Roberts is in the last year of his deal and that led to some speculation over his future earlier this summer but he is another thriving and so an extension in the coming weeks would be no surprise.

Who will feature inside those two wingers is harder to call, though Alex Pritchard showed his class and intelligence consistently last season. Bellingham and Ba in his second season will push hard for that role over pre-season.

The wildcard here is whether Amad will return. That still seems unlikely and Sunderland are preparing for the likelihood that he won't, but the player has made clear he is open to returning depending on how things develop at Manchester United.

If Amad doesn't return, then whether Sunderland do recruit further will depend on what calibre of alternative is available and how the likes of Lihadji, Bennette and Embleton fare in pre-season.

STRIKERS

Possible starter v Ipswich: Hemir

Ross Stewart is making good progress in his recovery from an achilles injury but is not yet ready to resume full training, and so the expectation at this stage is that he is unlikely to be ready to start against Ipswich Town.

That leaves Hemir as the only recognised striker as it stands, and while the Black Cats are hugely excited to have signed the former Benfica youngster, that's a situation that they will surely want to rectify.

A big positive for Hemir is that his early signing means he has a full pre-season to acclimatise as he looks to hit the ground running.