Patrick Roberts' brilliant message to Sunderland teammate Eliezer Mayenda after costly Blackburn Rovers miss

Patrick Roberts has rallied around Sunderland teammate Eliezer Mayenda after the winger’s costly miss against Blackburn Rovers.

With the game poised at 2-2 following Harry Leonard’s 89th-minute equaliser for the home side, Sunderland had the chance to take all three points after Wilson Isidor hooked the ball to Mayenda. The 19-year-old had a lot to do but managed to carry the ball from his own half to create a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

However, Mayenda appeared to be caught in two minds, and Rovers goalkeeper Aynsley Pears gathered the ball in front of over 7,000 Sunderland fans at Ewood Park. The player, who has two goals and three assists to his name this campaign, was visibly upset following the game.

Roberts, however, moved to support his teammate in an interview with local journalists following the game against Blackburn Rovers in the Championship on Boxing Day.

“He's got all the attributes. He's a good lad,” Roberts told The Echo. “He works hard. Obviously, you can see it upset him at the end. It's the only good thing. No one's going to take any amps against him. Everyone missed a chance. I missed a penalty a few weeks ago. I missed a couple of chances years ago. There's another game. Keep your head up, there's another game.

“You get it again, you put it in the back of the net. It's part of football. He's a young boy as well. You can say he can score and he probably knows himself he probably should score, but at the end of the day, he's a young kid learning the game first full season. You've just got to help him as much as possible and try and get the best out of him for himself. I'm sure he's a good lad.

“He'll take advice and he'll want to work on stuff and get better. That's all you can ask for as a team-mate. For myself, all I can do is try and help him as much as possible. He's a good lad, good player. He's got it all at his feet. He knows what to do and just crack on on the football pitch.”