The Sunderland Echo’s Phil Smith joined Frankie Francis and Danny Collins on the latest edition of the SAFC Unfiltered podcast, during which the panel discussed all things Sunderland and spent some time talking about Grant Leadbitter’s start to the 2020/21 season.
Leadbitter was out of action for some time at the end of the 2019/20 campaign when he was given compassionate leave from Sunderland for personal reasons in February, but the 34-year-old midfielder has been back in action at the start of this term, featuring in four of Sunderland’s first seven games of the season in all competitions, including three of their first four League One fixtures.
Leadbitter has scored one goal and provided one assist in his four appearances so far, and has earned an impressive overall WhoScored rating of 7.61/10 from his three league appearances for the Black Cats this season, making him the North East club’s third-highest-rated player in the league for the 2020/21 campaign at present.
Smith was full of praise for Leadbitter and his positive start to the season during this recent edition of the SAFC Unfiltered podcast, saying: “It’s just been terrific to see, because everybody knows what the club means to Grant and you want people like that in your team and in your club if you can get them.
“I think it’s been such a heartening thing for all Sunderland fans to see Grant playing the way he has, and I think that performance when he came into the side in the first EFL Trophy game against Aston Villa [U23s], was a real statement from him, to be honest, because it wasn’t just that he did all the things that we know he can do – passed the ball really well, showed that range of ability he’s got on the ball – but he looked so sharp and he was so on top of the opposition midfield.
“I kind of noticed that he completely dominated Aston Villa’s midfield that night and I did notice that a couple of weeks later, one of the lads was making his first-team debut who he was playing against, so it was a good standard, even if it was Aston Villa [Under-23s].
“Having played so well, he got that opportunity against Oxford, completely ran that game, I thought, and he’s just picked up from there and it just gives Sunderland another layer, if you like.
“That’s what gives players like Lynden Gooch and Chris Maguire the freedom to go and try and hurt the opposition. If you’ve got a foundation as solid as what Sunderland have had with Grant and Bailey [Wright] in particular, then you’re not going to concede too many goals and if you don’t do that, you’re not going to lose too many games. It’s been fantastic to see, he deserves all the praise he’s had, he’s been terrific.”
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As can be seen in what the journalist had to say, it’s clear that Smith has been impressed by Leadbitter’s start to the season and he believes that the midfielder plays an important role in giving the Black Cats’ more attacking players licence to go forward due to the cover that he provides behind them.
Considering that he did spend some time out of action at the end of last season, it may be understandable why Smith thinks it’s been good to see Leadbitter enjoying a positive start to the 2020/21 campaign and hopefully, for the 34-year-old midfielder and for the Black Cats, he can build on his positive start as the season progresses and continue playing an important role for the North East club as they hope to secure promotion from England’s third tier this term.