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As the Sunderland players walked around the Kenilworth Road pitch around an hour and a half before their Championship fixture against Luton, Black Cats boss Tony Mowbray had a lengthy chat with Leon Dajaku.

Half an hour later it was confirmed the German winger would be starting his first Championship fixture. It was certainly a surprising call, especially when Sunderland finally had a recognised striker on the bench in Ellis Simms.

Dajaku started on the right flank against Luton, where he misplaced an early pass and took a while to get into the game. The 21-year-old then swapped places with Amad to play as a central striker.

Clearly this isn’t Dajaku’s favoured position and it remains to be seen if he’ll play there again, with Simms now available and Ross Stewart aiming to be ready for after the World Cup break.

Leon Dajaku playing for Sunderland at Luton. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Yet Dajaku certainly caused Luton some problems during the first half at Kenilworth Road, with Mowbray highlighting the player’s dribbling ability as a reason behind the selection call.

According to Wyscout, Dajaku was successful with all four of his attempted dribbles during the 1-1 draw at Kenilworth Road, while he was unfortunate not to score when he cut inside of Luton defender Dan Potts and hit the post with a low effort.

There was also a moment in the first half when Dajaku showed good awareness to drop short and receive a pass from left-back Dennis Cirkin, before turning into space and setting up Amad, whose shot was saved by goalkeeper Ethan Horvath.

As Mowbray pointed out after the match, the other benefit of Dajaku playing as a striker was that Jack Clarke could move back into his favoured role on the left, with competition aplenty in the attacking wide positions.

With the likes of Patrick Roberts, Elliot Embleton, Amad and Jewison Bennette also available, it will be challenging for Dajaku to nail down a regular starting place, even with Clarke suspended for Wednesday’s match at Huddersfield.

Tony Mowbray explains his big Leon Dajaku decision and what Sunderland youngster...

And while the German showed flashes of his raw ability at Kenilworth Road, playing as a central striker probably isn’t a long-term move.

Still, there were reminders about what Dajaku can offer as he tries to earn more opportunities this season.

What Leon Dajaku offered Sunderland at Luton after Tony Mowbray's surprising selection call