Sunderland have made an impressive start to life back in the Championship, having claimed five points from their opening three league fixtures.
The Black Cats are so far unbeaten in the Championship. Alex Neil sees his side sitting in 6th place of the table but they could’ve moved as high as second, having lost a 2-0 lead to QPR late on over the weekend.
Still, it’s been a really strong start for Sunderland who made some shrewd additions in the summer, and here we look at three Black Cats players who’ve started off the season strongly, according to WhoScored…
Ellis Simms – Average WhoScored rating 8.16
And this list, perhaps as expected, starts off with one of those summer signings in Ellis Simms.
The man on loan from Everton netted twice on his debut v Bristol City earlier in the month and then scored another against QPR on Saturday.
He’s really complimenting the style of play that Neil deploys at Sunderland and alongside Ross Stewart, the Black Cats have a real potent front-two.
Ross Stewart – Average WhoScored rating 7.54
The Scot has also started the season off with a bang – he’s scored twice in his opening three Championship fixtures and looks set for another busy season in front of goal.
Stewart may also feel somewhat relieved with the arrival of Simms, as it takes the strain off Stewart who was at one point this summer Sunderland’s only striker.
Alex Pritchard – Average WhoScored rating 7.30
Pritchard remains an integral part of this Sunderland set up, having claimed two assists in his opening three league fixtures for the Black Cats.
He was in fine form last season and he’s started this season positively too, showing his class and experience in the Championship to help make the step-up for Sunderland more smooth.
If he can stay injury-free this season then he could end the campaign as one of the league’s most creative players.
Alex Neil discusses ‘massive’ injury blow to Sunderland man after QPR draw
