The Sunderland dilemma Tony Mowbray will soon have with Everton loanee Ellis Simms after Millwall win

A place on the bench seemed possible for the Scot, yet with Ellis Simms back up and running after scoring at Birmingham, it simply wasn’t worth the risk.

Stewart has been sidelined for over three months with a thigh issue and could now make his long-awaited return when Sunderland face West Brom on Monday, December 12.

How he fits back into the side will be interesting, though, after Simms made it two goals in as many matches in the 3-0 win over Millwall, scoring his fifth for the season (the same number as Stewart) in stoppage-time.

The Everton loanee deserved his goal against The Lions, after regularly occupying Millwall centre-backs Jake Cooper and Charlie Cresswell in a physical contest.

Following a frustrating first half with few clear-cut chances for the hosts, Simms’ run to the near post and neat flick created space for Amad to open the scoring on 53 minutes.

That goal forced Millwall to send more men forward and left space behind their backline, which Simms exploited in the closing stages by latching onto Anthony Patterson’s goal kick and scoring Sunderland’s third.

Yet, while he wasn’t always successful holding the ball up (winning 11 of his five offensive duels according to Wyscout), Simms’ presence alone gave the hosts an attacking presence they have lacked for large parts of this campaign.

The 21-year-old has also missed a significant part of the season through injury, meaning Sunderland have been forced to play without a natural striker.

Against Millwall, Simms completed 16 of his 21 passes as he led the line effectively in a 4-2-3-1 formation, bringing others into play.

So, after weeks playing without a striker, it now leaves the question: Can Mowbray fit two forwards into his starting XI?

Stewart and Simms formed a promising partnership at the start of the season under Alex Neil, yet that meant changing Sunderland’s shape to play with a back three and wing-backs.

With Amad performing excellently on the right, Jack Clarke on the left and Alex Pritchard in the No 10 position, would it be worth changing the system again?

It’s a welcome dilemma for Mowbray to have.