Sunderland youngster Jobe Bellingham not in need of a rest, says Kristjaan Speakman

Jobe Bellingham has looked a little jaded in recent weeks, but Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman does not think that is down to fatigue.

Kristjaan Speakman says he 'does not subscribe' to the theory that Jobe Bellingham is in need of a rest, although he did admit Sunderland are looking at their midfield options. 

Bellingham, 18, has been a near ever-present for Sunderland this season, and he started off the season in outstanding fashion following a summer move from Birmingham. 

He has suffered a drop in performances levels of late, though, spending too much time on the ball and appearing much more sluggish than before. 

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That has led to many to speculate that the reason behind that is fatigue, especially with Sunderland fans having seen it before with the likes of Dan Neil and Callum Doyle. 

Speakman does not agree, though.

Asked by BBC Radio if Sunderland are looking for a new central midfield player, Speakman confirmed: “Yeah, we're looking at all areas.

“I don't subscribe to the ‘need rest’ conversation. We're playing one game a week, we've got some professional athletes, they're all capable of delivering on that.

“Whether players perform well or don't perform well in certain games that's going to happen. You could argue it could happen more often when you've got a younger group when they're trying to build that, you know, sort of in -game experience.

“But we're really, really happy with the three that we've got in the middle of the pitch at the minute.

“We've got other players that can play in the middle of the pitch and ultimately it's up to the coach to pick what he feels is the right team.”

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