Samed ‘finished’ at Sunderland after what Le Bris did v Sheffield Wednesday
Salis Abdul Samed has had a troubled time since arriving on loan at Sunderland, and it appears things aren’t going to improve for him anytime soon.
Sunderland somewhat maintained their promotion credentials last time out, with a 2-1 away victory against Sheffield Wednesday.
Eliezer Mayenda scored both goals for the Black Cats, taking his total goal contribution tally up to 11 for the season, despite having only started 16 times.
However, despite being named in the squad, Samed played no part in the game, and one decision made by Regis Le Bris seems to have provided a telling hint into what the future holds for the midfielder.
Le Bris snubs Samed in favour of league debut for youngster
Given how tight the contest against Sheffield Wednesday was, Le Bris opted to make some second half substitutions in a bid to see out the game.
Surprisingly, Samed was not one of them. Instead, the Frenchman handed a league debut to Harrison Jones for the final few minutes of the game.
That decision suggests that Samed is far away from being in his first-team plans, and doesn’t bode well for the future of the midfielder ahead of the final 11 games of the season.
| Sunderland | Apparances (Starts) | Pass accuracy | % Duels won |
| Abdul Samed | 6 (2) | 88.82% | 55.6% |
With Alan Browne having returned from injury, and the form of several other Sunderland midfielders, any inclusion for Samed looks unlikely going forward.
Of course, any injuries in the next few weeks could change that, but as it stands, it seems as though Samed’s loan signing may go down as a failed deal.
Sunderland must maintain momentum
While the win at Hillsborough may not have been the prettiest, it was a big one in the race for promotion even though the chances of a top-two finish are slowly fading away.
However, if it is to be the playoffs for Sunderland, they need to enter them in the best form possible, with as much momentum as possible If they are to have a chance of progressing.
Heading into the latter stages of the season, the Black Cats simply need to keep doing what they have done throughout this campaign.