Sunderland boss makes Pierre Ekwah deadline-day reveal in verdict on midfielder's progress

Tony Mowbray urged Pierre Ekwah to keep taking his game to the next level after revealing that Sunderland had knocked back deadline-day interest in the midfielder.

Ekwah has made rapid progress since his January arrival and produced arguably his best performance yet in the 5-0 win over Southampton.

"I'm pleased for Ekwah," Mowbray said.

"He's a great young man and with all the French players that we've got, Pierre is like the go-between for all of them if a message needs to be sent.

"He's a very professional guy, so I'm pleased for him today.

"He's a really intelligent kid, Pierre, and sometimes he looks at me a bit like 'come on gaffer, give us a break, will you'.

"I want him a bit Roy Keane, if that makes sense. I want him to be nasty, to put his foot in, and win every tackle because I know he has got everything else.

"He's got a wand of a left foot, he's as strong as an ox, he can shoot, he can win headers, he can run - what can't he do? But sometimes it's a little flash.

"I think if he brings some steel and intensity to his game and wins the midfield battle, we've got a really, really, good footballer on our hands," he added.

"I know the phone rang for a few of them on deadline day and Pierre was one of them, but we've got no intention of losing Pierre Ekwah who's only just come.

"These players are going to get recognised but they have to keep bringing all the apsects of what makes a rounded footballer, not just be good with your left foot and letting loads of runners go off the back of you and teams score goals because you don't track them.

"Do the running, do the work, do the hard miles.

"As a football manager who watches games all the time, I see the guy who you can trust out of possession, but who has a wand of a left foot and can make lovely passes in possession, and can shoot from the edge of the box and score goals - is he worth £20m, £30m, £40m in modern-day football?

"Or is he just another midfielder player who is alright with the ball but doesn't do his duties out of possession.

"I'm not moaning at him, I'm just trying to show him and tell him and encourage him, so one day he thinks he is the complete player. He's got a fair way to go at the moment, but he has got the tools.

"I keep telling him that I could never run like Usain Bolt, I could never be the fast defender, but I was massive on what I had to be good at - winning headers, using my voice, watching videos, seeing the game, putting people in the right positions.

"That was my strength, as a footballer, organisation. But put me in a race with Michael Owen and it's a mismatch and he scores.

"Pierre has got strengths and qualities he has to work really hard on to improve, and if he makes them better he's going to be one hell of a footballer."

Bundesliga side Stuttgart were one of the sides reportedly interested in Ekwah during the closing stages of the window.