Sunderland youngster 'wants to play' as he's told to fight for attacking position

Tony Mowbray says Abdoullah Ba is going to have to compete for a place in the Sunderland attack as he is struggling to see him as a central midfield player for now.

Ba has impressed for Sunderland this season since joining in the summer from French club La Havre, albeit sporadically.

He has done most of his impressing from the left of the attack or in a false nine position, even if he was initial seen as a central midfield option when he first arrived.

Mowbray, though, says Ba prefers to carry the ball than to pass it, and for now that could be problematic in the centre of Sunderland’s midfield.

The biggest problem that Ba has, though, is that he has some incredibly talented attacking players ahead of him right now, including Amad Diallo.

“I think Abdoullah is an attacking player, really,” said Mowbray. “He wants to dribble with the ball and carry it forward.

“With the way we’re playing at the moment, he’s really competing with Amad to try to play in the team, and unfortunately for him, Amad is a pretty special player.

“Abdoullah wants to play, and we’ve had some conversations, but we’re trying to win some football matches as well as develop players.”

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