Romaine Mundle plan now clear for Sunderland after heroics vs Oxford United
Sunderland now have a clear route to take with Romaine Mundle after he showcased his ability against Championship outfit Oxford.
Sunderland have their name in the draw for the next round of the FA Cup, having secured a 1-0 victory away to Oxford on Sunday.
Habib Diarra scored his second goal for the club from the spot after Dennis Cirkin was fouled in the penalty area, with the Black Cats struggling to create anything particularly clear-cut outside of that.
Nevertheless, it was a professional performance from Regis Le Bris’ side, with minutes for plenty of stars who have been impact players at best recently.
Including Mundle, who certainly put on a show.
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Romaine Mundle shouldn’t be at Sunderland next season
Plenty has been made of the impact, or lack of, made by Mundle in the Premier League so far this season.
The 22-year-old has played 349 minutes across 13 league appearances, but he has been unable to register a goal or an assist, while also having created just one chance.
That has led to a lot of concern over his ability to have an impact in the top flight, but the feeling was very different about his performance against Oxford, and for good reason.
Mundle completed a remarkable 12 dribbles, won 20 of his 29 duels, and hit the target with two of his four shots in the game.
He was by far the best player on the pitch, but again, the biggest concern was the fact that he created just one chance and failed to register a goal or an assist.
But that in itself makes it clear how his immediate future should be away from the Stadium of Light.
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How do Sunderland move forward with Mundle?
It’s clear that Mundle isnt quite ready to play Premier League football, but it is also clear that he is an immense talent at the Championship level.
Injuries hampered his progress over the last 12 months, and that also has to be taken into account.
But if that development is to be restarted, Mundle needs to be back in the Championship playing every week.
Mundle’s stats in the Championship.
- 22 appearances
- 26 chances created
- 35 dribbles completed
- 103 duels won
Mundle scored five goals and registered two assists for the Black Cats last season, having played just 25 times across all competitions.
The potential he has is obvious, and a loan move back to the division where he had his best season to date is comfortably the best option right now, not just for Sunderland, but also for him.
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