Sunderland's £21m move for 'special' star credited for World Cup heroics
Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey has earned praise from a former Netherlands international for the impact he has made at the World Cup finals.
Sunderland fans have been keeping a close eye on events at the World Cup finals as several Black Cats favourites look to make an impact during the tournament in North America.
There have been a number of eye-catching performances from players that helped Regis Le Bris guide Sunderland into the Europa League for the first time - but few have made a more sizeable impact than Brian Brobbey. The former Ajax striker enjoyed a stellar first season on Wearside as he scored seven goals in 31 Premier League appearances and wrote his name into Wearside folklore by providing the winning goal in a historic Tyne-Wear derby victory at Newcastle United.
Brobbey’s performances earned him a place in the Netherlands squad for the World Cup finals and he earned his thirteenth senior cap with substitute appearance in a 2-2 draw with Group F rivals Japan. The Black Cats star then rewarded head coach Ronald Koeman for handing him a place in his starting eleven by scoring twice in a 5-1 demolition of Sweden on Saturday and will now hope to impress once again when his side face Tunisia in their final group game on Friday.
The Echo has launched a new WhatsApp SAFC Channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates direct to your phone. Simply click this link to join our SAFC WhatsApp channel.
Former Chelsea and Netherlands defender Winston Bogarde worked closely with the striker during his time as a coach with Ajax and he believes Brobbey’s move to the Premier League is one of the key reasons behind his impressive performances at international level. Bogarde told Dutch magazine Voetbal International: “I know Brian from my time as a coach at Ajax. He is a very special guy. A very sweet guy. A guy with character, too. If you give him confidence and you have his best interests at heart, he will go through fire for you. He was going through a difficult period in his final season at Ajax. That also had to do with the team he played in and the situation the club was in. At the time, Ajax were playing football that wasn’t his style. His move to England proved to be a wise one. Different facets are required of a striker there, and he has made that transition well. We are now seeing the result of his development in the Dutch national team.”
Your next Sunderland read: The key challenge Régis Le Bris will face as he looks to write more Sunderland history next season