Sunderland boss discusses Jay Matete's progress and outlines summer plan for the midfielder

Matete moved on loan to Plymouth Argyle in the January window in a bid to feature more regularly than he had done in the first half of the season, and though he has not always been a fixture in the starting XI at Home Park he has featured consistently as the Pilgrims look to secure promotion to the Championship.

Mowbray says he feels the 22-year-old will be in a better place for his spell at Plymouth, and he will get a chance to show that during the pre-season programme as Sunderland's squad-building continues.

However, the head coach says he knows the midfielder is determined to play regularly and says only time will tell whether that will be possible for him in the 2023/24 campaign.

Pierre Ekwah has begun to break into the side in recent weeks, and the club are facing a big decision as to whether they activate the purchase clause in Edouard Michut's loan from PSG.

"It's always positive when players go out on loan and do well," Mowbray said.

"The context obviously is that he's playing in the league below and so there is a jump in the level that you have to attain.

"Jay can come back in pre-season and play in the games and we will see how he does. I'm sure it will have benefited him to have played at Plymouth and then we will have discussions as to whether we see him is a big part of the group, because what Jay doesn't want is.. he wants to play and that was very clear from my conversations with him before his move in January. Why would he want to be the 19th player every week, training every day... he wants to play. Some players are happy to go on loan and play and some want to move, so these are all the conversations that we will have.

"My conversations with Jay will be about how he's found it, and I am seeing his clips every week and he got a good goal and assist last week. The lads have told me that he's enjoyed the experience, fighting for the top spot in the division at that level.

"We'll see how things go in pre-season, I don't want to try and pre-empt that because he will have to compete with Dan Neil, Pierre Ekwah, Edouard Michut or whoever it is we have in midfield. Football is always a competition and selection is a competition within a competition.

"We'll wait and see but he will get a chance."

Plymouth Argyle hold a narrow advantage in the race for automatic promotion from League One, with a one point lead over Ipswich Town and two over Sheffield Wednesday. However, Darren Moore's side have played one game more than both of their rivals, who have five still to play.