Mike Dodds explains his surprise Abdoullah Ba decision after Sunderland's draw with Bristol City

Mike Dodds has challenged Abdoullah Ba to produce a positive reaction after the winger was surprisingly left out of the Sunderland squad on Saturday afternoon.

Dodds’ options in forward areas have been bolstered by the return of some key players, with Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts both returning to the fold this week. Aji Alese also made his comeback on Saturday afternoon during the 0-0 draw with Bristol City, which Dodds said was a factor in his call not to select Ba.

Dodds preferred Romaine Mundle on this occasion but says Ba will be in his thoughts for the trip to Leeds United on Tuesday night.

"We want competition for places,” Dodds said.

“Abdoullah will be disappointed but we want competition for places and I think it's a huge positive that he's been left out of the squad and will have to react and be better than the other players who are in his way at the moment.I'll have the same decision on Tuesday in terms of what the bench is like, we don't make those decisions lightly or pick them out of thin air. We knew that we were going to get Aji out on the pitch and you can never fully predict your subs as Monday showed, but you're trying to work out who might last however long etc. It was just on this occasion that Abdoullah missed out.”

Ba has made 37 appearances across all competitions this season, but has not featured in either of the last two fixtures.