Former fan favourite back at Sunderland to help develop new hero

Jewison Bennette needs help in understanding what is asked of him, and Tony Mowbray knew just who to call.

Michael Graham | Feb 11, 2023

Former fan favourite back at Sunderland to help develop new hero /

Former Sunderland fan favourite Julio Arca has returned to the club to help the development of Jewison Bennette, Tony Mowbray has revealed.

Bennette does not yet speak much English after he arrived from Costa Rica last summer.

That has seen the 18-year-old only really used in his natural position so far, although we saw a change in that this week when he was deployed on the right of the attack instead of the left.

"Julio is a big help," Mowbray said. "He comes in a couple of times a week, he watches training, has a cup of tea with us and a chat, and then spends a bit of time with Jewison.

"I know Julio is a good man, he's a football guy, and I sit down with him and show him Jewison's clips from training and in U21 games and the flashes he has for the first-team. I talk to Julio and it is easy for him to then speak [to Jewison] in their natural language and have a chat about football.

"I trust Julio as a good human being, a good guy, to try and get the messages across. It will be easier for Jewison to understand because he is such a nice lad that [with me] he'll smile and nod even if he doesn't understand, but with Julio I know he will understand what's being said to him.

“I'm just trying to transmit the correct messages to him, keep him confident, keep him believing. He's a young boy and he's doing well yet his perception might be that he is not playing enough, but it's a journey for him.”

Bennette has featured sparingly for Sunderland so far, but he has certainly impressed in flashes.

He scored against Watford earlier in the season and added another to his Sunderland account in the FA Cup defeat to Fulham.

Mowbray, though, is happy to remain patient with him, although he feels more able to use Bennette with Arca helping out.

“It's difficult for a young 18-year-old to come from Central America and think they can play in the Championship,” he said.

"I do know there were times when he was just agreeing with me, because there have been times when he hasn't then gone and done what we spoke about! That's understandable because of the language barrier.

“But with Julio there, I know the messages are getting through with a bit more clarity. The kid is exciting. We like him.

“And yet I'm not sure that at this moment we would take [Jack] Clarke or [Patrick] Roberts out of the team and put Jewison in, but it might be that in ten days' time on a Tuesday night after the third game in such a short period of time and they have done extremely well and their numbers are really high and we think there is a danger of somebody pulling up, I'd have no problem starting him because I can see the talent.

"My query at the moment has been his understanding of the information he has been given, but his English teacher has been here a lot and Jewison is improving, and with him talking to Julio I'm sure that by the start of next season, for instance, it won't be a problem."

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