The forgotten Sunderland man who could face uncertain future despite positive display vs Blackburn Rovers

If ever there was a concrete signifier of Regis Le Bris’ ongoing policy of rotating and resting key members of his Sunderland squad ahead of the play-offs, surely it was Joe Anderson’s inclusion against Blackburn Rovers on Easter Monday.

The 24-year-old made his first league start for the Black Cats some 811 days after signing from Everton, and aside from inducing countless double takes across Wearside, his name popping up on the team sheet was a perfect illustration of the lengths Le Bris is willing to go to ensure he has a fit and fresh contingent available to him next month.

And in another fairly unexpected twist, Anderson equipped himself rather well in a relatively unfamiliar left-back role. Comfortable enough on the ball and committed in his individual contests, the forgotten man didn’t look out of place in the slightest. Fifty-eight of his 72 attempted passes found a teammate, including three out of his four attempted crosses, there were seven successful duels out of a total of 11, and elsewhere, he recovered possession 14 times and made three interceptions, as per Wyscout.

Indeed, by just about any metric, this was a solid display from Anderson. Perhaps there is an argument to be made for him being a little flat-footed in the build-up to Tyrhys Dolan’s winning goal, but by and large, this was a fine showing from a player who has barely had a chance to stake his claim at the Stadium of Light.

And yet, you suspect that opportunities will continue to be elusive for Anderson. Once normal service is resumed and Sunderland’s pre-play-off limbo is brought to an end next month, it is hard to see much of a long-term future for the defender on Wearside. Factor in the anticipated returns of Dennis Cirkin, Dan Ballard, and Aji Alese, and that suspicion becomes even more overt.

At centre-back, when everybody is available, the Black Cats are remarkably well-stocked, and at left-back, where Anderson would surely prefer not to feature if given the choice, there are certain aspects of his game which don’t automatically lend themselves to the style of play that Le Bris is trying to engender in the North East. For all of his positive contributions against Blackburn, Anderson failed to complete a single successful dribble, and didn’t look naturally inclined to get up the pitch in support of his winger to overlap and create numerical advantages in wide areas. Compare that to the attacking threat that the likes of Cirkin and Trai Hume provide when firing on all cylinders, and it is difficult to see how Anderson could ever hope to make a genuine bid for a prominent long-term role at full-back.

All of this is to say that Anderson’s showing against Blackburn, while more impressive than many might have expected, still felt decidedly makeshift, and with his contract due to expire next year, surely decisions will have to be made in the relatively short-term about his future with Sunderland. Monday may have been the defender’s first start in over 800 days, but it might also end up being one of his last.

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