Sunderland assistant reacts to another Chris Maguire masterclass and allays injury fears with this joke

Maguire played a part in all three goals as Sunderland raced into a three-nil lead that they never looked like relinquishing against Rochdale.

There was a slight concern for the Black Cats as he appeared to pull up with an injury midway through the second half.

Phil Parkinson had already been planning to replace him with Antoine Semenyo, and the 31-year-old looked to be in discomfort as he made his way back round to the dug-out.

Assistant Steve Parkin allayed any fears with a joke in his post-match press conference.

“He's alright,” he said.

“He said he did it with a burst of pace. I can't see that, can you?

“I think it's a bit of a dead leg. He'll be fine.”

Sunderland face Oxford United on Saturday with both Maguire and Lynden Gooch in exceptional form.

The pair are likely to be crucial again to Sunderland’s hopes of landing three vital points and Parkin says Maguire is relishing his role.

“I think he's a player playing with a lot of confidence,” he says.

“I think he enjoys the role, he's relishing the fact that he gets a lot of the ball and in good areas.

“He's a tremendous crosser of the ball, if you give him half a yard he will put in a good area.

“He's been a key player for us and he's enjoying his football.”