Sunderland's Jobe Bellingham question after QPR draw as Mike Dodds weighs up attacking options

While Sunderland kept their first clean sheet since New Year's Day during a goalless draw with QPR, the side's attacking output was worryingly low.

The Black Cats failed to register a single shot on target at the Stadium of Light on a flat afternoon, with interim head coach Mike Dodds admitting his side 'showed no real quality in the game.'

There are of course reasons for that, with Sunderland's lengthy injury list impossible to ignore. Losing first-choice widemen Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts has clearly blunted the side's attack, while the sale of Alex Pritchard in January has taken away another creative player.

Throw into the mix that Sunderland's four recognised strikers, who arrived in the summer, have all struggled to make a significant impact and it's hard to see how the side are going to score.

Of the four forwards who moved to Wearside at the start of the season, Nazariy Rusyn has shown the most promise up front, yet the 25-year-old predominantly played as a wide forward for Ukrainian side Zorya Luhansk. He was also unavailable for the QPR fixture after picking up a knock.

With Eliezer Mayenda on loan at Hibernian, where he has made just one league start, that leaves Chelsea loanee Mason Burstow and Hemir. Neither, though, have looked ready to make an impact in the Championship at this stage of their careers. 

Hemir led the line against QPR but was anonymous for most of the match. After signing a five-year contract at Sunderland last summer, the 20-year-old has time to develop at the Stadium of Light but will need to improve fast to keep his first-team prospects alive.

Dodds’ other striker option is to play Jobe Bellingham up front. In the long term, Sunderland may see the 18-year-old as a central midfielder or a No 10, yet, right now, he seems to be the side’s best striker option.

Bellingham scored twice playing up front in a 2-1 win over Rotherham earlier in the season, and performed well in a similar role during a 2-1 win over West Brom under Dodds in December. 

Sunderland’s interim boss must now decide if the team’s best option is to start Bellingham as a central striker again after the international break, with the side looking to end a seven-match winless run.