Tony Mowbray: Overcoming striker shortage a 'big ask' of Sunderland squad

Joe Glehardt being the only Sunderland striker available for the rest of the season is a ‘big ask’ of the Leeds youngster, Tony Mowbray has admitted.

Sunderland’s failure to replace Ross Stewart after his season-ending injury in the final few days of the January transfer window has always caused heated debate among supporters.

For all the recruitment team have done a fantastic job in dramatically improving the standard of the squad, the lack of strikers has been a concern all season.

Sunderland came out of the January transfer window with just two centre-forwards, Stewart and Ellis Simms, and both promptly got injured.

Soon after they returned, Simms was recalled by Everton and then Stewart suffered a serious injury. Gelhardt arrived in January as a replacement for Simms, but the result is still that Sunderland came out of January much weaker in attack than they went into it.

Glehardt opened his account for Sunderland in the 2-1 defeat at Rotherham, which was his fifth start for the club, and Mowbray says he has concerns over the position heading into the final 13 games of the season.

Asked about Gelhardt, Mowbray said: "I think he works really hard. He will score goals and he's a good footballer.

"He's disappointed he didn't score another goal with the header after [Patrick] Roberts had flicked one into the box for him. Is it important he's got off the mark? Listen, strikers have to score goals, don't they?

"That's their job. It's what they do, although he's only a very young boy and he's being asked to play up front every game on his own. It's not easy for him, and we have to try to give him support and help him.

"He has to keep working as hard as he is, and whether he can keep doing it for the next 13 games or whatever it is, is going to be a big ask.

"He's only a boy who's never really played consecutive games, but we'll see. It'll be a good learning curve for him."

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