Sunderland’s interesting Jobe Bellingham question after Sheffield Wednesday win and positional change

Pierre Ekwah’s early injury setback in the first half of Sunderland’s win at QPR forced a reshuffle in the heart of The Black Cats’ midfield.

Ekwah’s partnership with Dan Neil in the team’s engine room was proving to be an effective one, with the pair starting the side’s first six Championship fixtures this season.

Still, with Corry Evans and Jay Matete sidelined with injuries, there appeared to be a lack of depth when it came to Sunderland’s central midfield options beyond their first-choice starting XI.

With Ekwah’s unavailable, Jobe Bellingham has been asked to move from a No 10 position into a slightly deeper role for The Black Cats’ last four matches, demonstrating his versatility after playing as a centre-forward earlier in the campaign.

The 18-year-old has still been able to take up advanced positions, with Sunderland dominating possession against QPR (who were reduced to 10 men), Cardiff and Sheffield Wednesday, while the 3-1 win at Blackburn proved an open affair.

Bellingham has adjusted well to the slightly new position, completing 57 of his 62 attempted passes (according to Wyscout) in the 3-0 win over Wednesday and regularly dropping deeper to receive the ball.

Clearly there have been more defensive responsibilities placed on Neil, who was rotating positions with Ekwah earlier in the campaign, with Trai Hume also drifting into midfield when Sunderland are in possession. As a result, Bellingham has still been able to make offensive runs off the ball and join in with his side’s attacks.

Ekwah, who has been sidelined with a dead leg, could be available for Wednesday’s match against Watford at the Stadium of Light and is likely to come straight back into the starting XI when fully fit.

After signing for Sunderland in January, Ekwah had to wait for his first-team chance as head coach Tony Mowbray wanted the Frenchman to improve his defensive qualities and positioning out of possession.

Bellingham will also have to improve that side of the game when Sunderland don’t see as much of the ball but has shown his defensive awareness, winning five of his sixth defensive duels against Wednesday while making four interceptions.

Ekwah’s return will probably mean Bellingham returns to a more advanced position, where he’ll face competition from Alex Pritchard and Bradley Dack, yet the teenager’s adjustments over the last four games, with Sunderland winning three of them, have been encouraging.