Sunderland’s Tommy Watson Hailed as “Well-Designed Gift” After Scoring Double

Sunderland winger Tommy Watson, who was reportedly a target for Premier League club Brighton during the summer transfer window, was lauded as a “well-designed gift” by his manager after netting his initial two goals for the Championship high-flyers, contributing to their victory over Stoke City on storm-affected Wearside. Watson secured his team’s seventh-minute equaliser with a powerful low shot and then scored a deflected winner in the 86th minute. These goals ensured fourth-placed Sunderland remained just two points behind leaders Leeds and marked their first win in seven games. The 18-year-old Watson, who only made his debut Championship start for Sunderland in November, has rapidly cemented his position in the squad, filling in for the injured Romaine Mundle. Furthermore, after being thwarted by both the goalpost and Stoke goalkeeper Viktor Johanssson, he could have potentially achieved a hat-trick on a different occasion. Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris stated, “Players need time to adapt. But, so far, Tommy has developed very fast. Now he will face the difficulties every player has to face, such as consistency and needing to defend as well. There are many things to develop. It was an interesting game for him. When you have a winger with the ability to run inside and outside and cross, it’s a gift for a coach and a team. He works well. The system is well designed for him. We can use him very quickly and play to his main strengths. He’s powerful, he can dribble, he can move inside and outside and he scored. He’s very strong, a very good winger in this league.” Sunderland is scheduled for another home fixture on Tuesday, facing Bristol City, and Le Bris expressed his desire for more favorable weather conditions. Regarding the match, he commented, “With the weather, it was difficult. But we deserved to win. We had many chances to score and we had to wait until the end. But we didn’t give up and this was the most important thing.”