Campaign ended on a flat note as he dropped to the bench, bringing an end to his hugely impressive run of consecutive league appearances. On the whole another positive campaign. There perhaps weren’t the same level of eye-catching saves as there had been in the 18 months previous but his command of his box and his distribution continues to steadily improve. His consistency remains very impressive given his age and his position. Likely to be top-tier interest this summer, which tells you everything you need to know about his quality. Rating: 7/10placeholder image
Campaign ended on a flat note as he dropped to the bench, bringing an end to his hugely impressive run of consecutive league appearances. On the whole another positive campaign. There perhaps weren’t the same level of eye-catching saves as there had been in the 18 months previous but his command of his box and his distribution continues to steadily improve. His consistency remains very impressive given his age and his position. Likely to be top-tier interest this summer, which tells you everything you need to know about his quality. Rating: 7/10

The Sunderland AFC end-of-season player ratings and what they tell us about the rebuild ahead - gallery

Phil Smith
By Phil Smith

Sunderland AFC Writer

Published 7th May 2024, 16:02 GMT
Updated 7th May 2024, 16:06 GMT

Sunderland’s Championship campaign ended in a disappointing 16th-placed finish

Sunderland’s 2023/24 campaign came to a disappointing conclusion on Saturday as they fell to a 2-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday.

It was a season that started with much promise after the brilliant sixth-placed finish the Black Cats managed to achieve in their first campaign back in the Championship. Despite some persistent struggles in the final third Sunderland looked well placed to at least to push to repeat that feat, but the departure of Tony Mowbray began a spiral all the way down to 16th. It looks set to be a crucial summer at Sunderland as they prepare to name Michael Beale’s permanent successor. And what next for the playing squad? Here, we assess every player in the senior squad over the course of the season, rate their campaign and discuss what it means for the bid rebuild ahead…

As expected his ACL injury kept him out for the vast majority of the campaign. He actually played more than Sunderland intended in the closing weeks of the season, which underlined how well he returned and also how much the team continued to miss his calm presence at the base of midfield. Showed that he has a lot to offer still, even if it seems unlikely to be at Sunderland. Needs replacing as it has consistently been a position of weakness for the club in his absence. Rating: 4.5/10

13. CORRY EVANS

As expected his ACL injury kept him out for the vast majority of the campaign. He actually played more than Sunderland intended in the closing weeks of the season, which underlined how well he returned and also how much the team continued to miss his calm presence at the base of midfield. Showed that he has a lot to offer still, even if it seems unlikely to be at Sunderland. Needs replacing as it has consistently been a position of weakness for the club in his absence. Rating: 4.5/10 | Frank Reid Photo: Frank Reid

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Easy to forget just how well he started the campaign, which peaked with a stunning performance in the emphatic win over Southampton. So rapid was his progress that Sunderland were batting back offers from top-tier European clubs on deadline day. A leg injury then hampered his progress and the second half of the season has been a tough one. The balance in midfield hasn’t been quite right for Sunderland for some time and they’ve been too easy to play through - with the major strides Ekwah had made to his game out of possession not as obvious. Has been challenged by the coaching staff to get back to his best and needs a bit of a reset ahead of pre-season. Hopefully be better for what was, it can also be easy to forget, his first full season of senior football. Rating: 5/10

14. PIERRE EKWAH

Easy to forget just how well he started the campaign, which peaked with a stunning performance in the emphatic win over Southampton. So rapid was his progress that Sunderland were batting back offers from top-tier European clubs on deadline day. A leg injury then hampered his progress and the second half of the season has been a tough one. The balance in midfield hasn’t been quite right for Sunderland for some time and they’ve been too easy to play through - with the major strides Ekwah had made to his game out of possession not as obvious. Has been challenged by the coaching staff to get back to his best and needs a bit of a reset ahead of pre-season. Hopefully be better for what was, it can also be easy to forget, his first full season of senior football. Rating: 5/10 | Ian Horrocks Photo: Photo: Ian Horrocks

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A pillar of consistency across what was not a particularly easy campaign for the team. His game continued to evolve and he now has real steel and leadership skills to go with the technical quality that was obvious the moment he began to break into the team. The one frustration is that he hasn’t had the chance to impact games more in the final third, though that is more a reflection of the more disciplined role he has had to play. Something which surely needs addressing over the summer to allow him to show his full range of skills next season. Rating: 8.5/10

15. DAN NEIL

A pillar of consistency across what was not a particularly easy campaign for the team. His game continued to evolve and he now has real steel and leadership skills to go with the technical quality that was obvious the moment he began to break into the team. The one frustration is that he hasn’t had the chance to impact games more in the final third, though that is more a reflection of the more disciplined role he has had to play. Something which surely needs addressing over the summer to allow him to show his full range of skills next season. Rating: 8.5/10 | Frank Reid Photo: Frank Reid

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Hasn’t been able to make the kind of impact that he would have liked but clearly wasn’t helped by initially being played out of position - whether that be on the left of a back four or even at one stage on the right wing. Rarely had a chance to feature in midfield but was brought off at half time on the last day of the campaign. Seems unlikely as it stands that Sunderland will trigger their option to make his move permanent. Rating: 4.5/10

16. CALLUM STYLES

Hasn’t been able to make the kind of impact that he would have liked but clearly wasn’t helped by initially being played out of position - whether that be on the left of a back four or even at one stage on the right wing. Rarely had a chance to feature in midfield but was brought off at half time on the last day of the campaign. Seems unlikely as it stands that Sunderland will trigger their option to make his move permanent. Rating: 4.5/10 | Photo: Ian Horrocks Photo: Ian Horrocks

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