The stats that prove Salis Abdul Samed can be an asset for Sunderland after underwhelming full debut

It may not have panned out how he, or anybody else in Sunderland, wanted or anticipated, but there was at least a logic to Regis Le Bris handing Salis Abdul Samed his first start for the Black Cats in Saturday’s bitterly disappointing 2-2 draw against Plymouth Argyle.

With the final, decisive straight of the season stretching out before Sunderland, and with the Ghanaian midfielder still in the process of convincing many on Wearside that he does, in fact, exist, Le Bris told a post-match press conference at the Stadium of Light that his aim was to provide his summer signing with vital minutes that should help him get up to speed and eventually translate to a more meaningful role over the concluding months of the campaign.

“For the last part of the season, we need more depth in our squad”, the head coach said. “Now we have more players available and to be connected with the team, you need to play. They need to experience this competition and after that they can learn, analyse their performances and then prove their level.

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“It is very important for the last sprint to have 17, 18 players at their best level so we have many different options. At the end of this game maybe we can say it is not the best [decision], I don't know, we can't rewrite history. For me, it was a good experience for what we are building. We know that when we are not at our best, it is possible to lose to a team struggling in our league.”

Ultimately, as far as proper introductions go, Saturday ended up being a rather disappointing experience for Samed. Hooked around the hour mark and largely inconspicuous, his inclusion has been maligned by many who are steadfastly of the belief that Sunderland should have been bold enough to omit the only truly defensively-minded midfielder in their squad against a side who are rooted to the foot of the Championship.

Hindsight would suggest that the naysayers have a point, but in amongst the gloom, there were pinpricks of promise in Samed’s display, and ones that hint at the kind of asset he could go on to become for Le Bris’ side.

For one thing, he was remarkably economical in possession. Of the 40 passes he attempted against Plymouth, some 38 found their target, leaving the 24-year-old with a staggering completion rate of 95%, as per Wyscout. There is an argument to be made that he is not as progressive or incisive as Dan Neil is in that deep-lying role, and that may well be the case, but in games where Sunderland require a metronomic presence in the engine room capable of keeping them ticking over, Samed’s efficiency should be a real advantage.

Then, of course, there is the other side to his game - the hard yards and mopping up of spills, the combative moments and general dirty work that so often defines the output of a defensive midfielder. Against Plymouth, Samed recovered the ball on nine occasions, including five inside the Pilgrims’ half. Again, that ability to patrol and police may well prove to be highly significant against sides who Sunderland would expect to put them under more sustained periods of territorial pressure. A fiendishly-tricky away trip to Elland Road, for example, is less than a month away.

All of this is to say that while Le Bris probably did get it a little bit wrong at the weekend, the Samed experiment wasn’t a total calamity. Yes, Sunderland were poor, and no, this was not a vintage performance from a player who has repeatedly been hyped as a Champions League calibre talent since his arrival at the Stadium of Light. But there were positives to take, and there are foundations to be built upon. Samed might not have been the man for the occasion on Saturday, but that’s not to say that he doesn’t still have a part to play between now and May.