Mike Dodds believes Sunderland have one of the ‘best’ players in his position

 

Mike Dodds has hailed one Sunderland player as one of the ‘best’ in his position in the Championship.

Since Michael Beale was appointed in December, Sunderland has played very poorly and has suffered two further losses since his dismissal.

The Black Cats have fallen to tenth place as a result of several subpar performances by players including Luke O’Nien, Jobe Bellingham, and Pierre Ekwah. The team has also faced harsh criticism in recent weeks.

One of their important players, Dan Ballard, who is among the few who have received plaudits this season, will make his return against Plymouth Argyle tonight. Jack Clarke, their best player, is out until next month.

The Wearside team’s center back, who has made 32 appearances this season, has, for the most part, been “a revelation,” but his two-match suspension has left a void in the lineup.

Jenson Seelt took Ballard’s position against Swansea City and Norwich, but the absence of the Arsenal academy graduate made the backline appear much weaker.

Ballard is expected to return right away to the center of defense, where Mike Dodds has acknowledged that his absence has made his significance “glaringly obvious.”

Speaking to Chronicle Live, the interim coach said: “I think the first game that I took it was glaringly obvious how important he was to us.

“Obviously during international breaks, Dan goes away with his country, he’s robust, he plays a lot of games for us, he trains every day, so it was important we gave him a few days to mentally refresh himself.

“I have to admit that he has been incredibly energetic and effervescent for the last seven to ten days; it’s almost like we signed a new player. He has proven how vital he is to us, so I’m really looking forward to having him back in the squad and the team. As I’ve already stated, I believe he is among the league’s greatest defenders, and his absence from the club has strengthened that opinion.

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