Marco Gabbiadini has sung his praises of one Sunderland player in particular, following the recent upturn in form.
The mood amongst Sunderland fans right now compared to a few weeks ago is much-changed.
There was uproar after the 5-1 defeat vs Blackburn Rovers on Easter Monday.
But three games, five points and three clean sheets later, and everything is much rosier for the Black Cats and interim boss Mike Dodds.
Sunderland recent form
Barring that defeat vs Blackburn Rovers, it’s been a very positive past month for Sunderland.
On the 16th of March Sunderland drew at home to QPR; a poor result and performance, but a point and a clean sheet nonetheless.
Since then, the Black Cats have won at Cardiff City, drawing against Bristol City and Leeds United before claiming a 1-0 win at West Brom in their last outing.
That’s five clean sheets in six for Dodds and his side who remain in 13th place of the Championship table, but on a high ahead of the summer.
Marco Gabbiadini hails Callum Styles impact
One source of debate in recent weeks has been January loan signing Callum Styles.
The 24-year-old has now featured nine times in the Championship for Sunderland and has one assist to his name.
And on the whole, it’s still been a fairly average spell from Styles, though he’s certainly looked much better in the last two games.
Dodds has changed to a back-five with Styles playing in a more familiar left wing-back role.
Against Leeds United in particular, Styles proved energetic and creative out on the left, now earning praise from former Sunderland striker turned BBC pundit Gabbiadini.
Speaking on Total Sport, Gabbiadini said of Styles:
“I think Styles has been quite impressive in the last two games; he’s been like a free spirit, he’s been popping up all over the field.”
Kristjaan Speakman now facing tough summer transfer call
With Styles now showing his class, Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman faces a very tough summer decision on the Hungarian international.
Sunderland have the option to buy Styles from Barnsley who currently sit in 5th place of the Championship table.
Should the Tykes earn promotion, it would surely throw a spanner in the works where a possible Sunderland move for Styles might be concerned.
But if they miss out then selling Styles seems inevitable; though whether Sunderland would meet their valuation remains to be seen.
Whilst he’s been poor in spells, Styles looks much more confident playing at left wing-back.
But whether this is a formation that the next Sunderland manager adopts is up for debate, and if it’s not then we’ve already seen Styles struggle to fit into the 4-2-3-1 shape.
Expect Sunderland to hire a new boss before making a decision on Styles, with a big summer ahead for both the Black Cats and the Barnsley ace.