Tony Mowbray confirms stance on calling young Sunderland striker into first-team squad

Gardiner has taken his opportunity to step up into the U21 side following an injury to striker Max Thompson earlier in the campaign, and caught the eye with a brace in a 4-1 win over Stoke City.

With Joe Gelhardt the club's only current fit striker, there have been calls for Gardiner to be brought into the squad for the trip to Norwich City and beyond.

The 19-year-old joined the club from South Shields and signed his first professional contract last summer, but as of yet has not trained on a regular basis with the senior group.

Mowbray says it's only at that point that he would consider exposing him to first-team football.

"Harry has probably only trained once or twice with the first-team group," Mowbray said.

"I would be bringing up a player to the team purely on a couple of goals - and if he doesn't get a touch and gets smashed about and looks like a boy against men.. people will be wondering what we were doing.

"You have to get a feel for him and not just because he's scored a couple of goals against what is a young Stoke City U21 team. You have to be careful with your judgements with these things.

"I understand the question and it's not being negative towards him, because it's great that he's got these goals. I was at the game and he got himself into the six-yard box to score. We had a strong side out playing against a young team, and those players who have been around the first-team group probably gave us the edge in the game.

"All of these players need to be integrated bit by bit. If, when he trains with the first team you don't notice him because he's holding onto the ball, physically he's dealing with the situation etc then maybe so, you call him up.

"But I won't make a knee-jerk decision based on an U21 game."

The U21s are next in action away at Leeds United next weekend.