Tony Mowbray's honest and encouraging verdict on ex-West Ham United youngster's progress

Ekwah arrived from West Ham United in January having never made an appearance in senior professional football, and so has been deployed as an impact substitute to date.

Edouard Michut's international commitments meant that Mowbray turned to the midfielder for his first start in the most challenging of Championship environments. The Frenchman grew into the game and did well in the second half, before being replaced by Michut in the 63rd minute.

Sunderland's head coach says he never had any doubts about Ekwah's technical talent, and says he is beginning to understand what else he needs to thrive in senior football.

Mowbray said: “People need experience, otherwise how do you ever get up to speed? Pierre has now played in a game against the top team in the league, and it’ll be an amazing experience for him.

"I’ve been saying to him from day one that he has to get up to speed. He’s been playing U23s football all his life. He’s never played a first-team game really, so here we go, playing against men whose life depends on winning football matches.

"That’s a big difference from the U23s, where you get told to stand in a position and play to a or b or c. He was in the middle of a proper football match on Friday night, with men. It’ll have been a good experience for him.

"Pierre can run, tackle, head it, and he's got to bring all of that every game at a tempo that he's never had to play in the past. He's a magician with his left foot and he does wonderful things with the ball, but he's got to put his body in and win tackles [as well]. When we get all that we've got a real player on our hands, it just takes a little bit of time for the penny to drop."

Ekwah is likely to be in line for more minutes over the demanding Easter schedule, though Michut could reclaim his place in the XI for Hull City's visit.