Sunderland Starlet Could Be Key To Positive Change Amid Granit Xhaka Injury

Sunderland starlet Jules Ahoka enjoyed a remarkable breakout Premier League performance in the win over Chelsea ahead of the international break, and has arguably made himself undroppable in the process.

Sunderland beat Chelsea 1-0 in the final game before the internationals courtesy of an Enzo Le Fée spot-kick, in a vastly improved performance in every aspect for Regis Le Bris' struggling side.

Despite the eventual impressive result over Xabi Alonso's side, the game started in worrying fashion with Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka forced off with a calf injury in the first minute, leaving the Stadium of Light faithful worrying over how the Black Cats would cope against the Blues without the midfield metronome.

However, Le Bris turned to 20-year-old midfielder Ahoka to replace Xhaka, and the £8.6m summer signing from Royal Antwerp not only proved himself to be a capable deputy to the veteran Swiss midfielder, but also facilitated an improvement in Sunderland's central midfield that could be key to continuing their winning run following the international break.

In the opening stages of the season, Sunderland have been overrun far too often in midfield, with Xhaka looking to have lost a yard of pace, seeing Noah Sadiki and Enzo Le Fee lost to make up for the captain's lost ground, creating a disconnect and fracture in the Black Cats' engine room.

Interestingly, however, Ahoka proved himself to be the potential fix that Le Bris has been longing for in central midfield, against the likes of Premier League winner Jordan Henderson and £115m midfielder Moises Caicedo.

Ahoka enjoyed a stunning man-of-the-match performance for Sunderland against Chelsea, making the most defensive contributions (14) of any player on the field to keep the Blues' depth of talent at bay, covering every blade of grass in the process to screen the Black Cats' backline with aplomb.

Given that the young midfielder played just four senior professional club games at Antwerp prior to joining Sunderland this summer, the footballing intelligience and awareness that Ahoka exhibited against Alonso's side was a pleasure to witness, but there is also a raw element to the Congolese talent that could be key for Le Bris.

Not only is Ahoka clearly a gifted footballer, one who could be worth over £50m in the not-so-distant future, but the 20-year-old is an impressive athlete, with his pace, physicality, and stamina in midfield injecting new life into Sunderland's midfield in the absence of the slower conductor Xhaka.

Within the clash, Ahoka covered as much distance as Caicedo (10.5km), but made a far greater impact on proceedings than the Blues midfielder, with his legs in the engine room allowing both Sadiki and Le Fee to venture forward without the worry of the number six role being exposed as Xhaka has been in the early stages of the campaign at times.

Sunderland are still waiting nervously to discover the full extent of Xhaka's injury, with the 34-year-old pulling out of the Switzerland squad for the two-week international break as a result, seeing the Stadium of Light faithful worry over how long the captain could be sideliend for.

However, Ahoka's athletic and intelligent performance against Chelsea should quell those fears for Sunderland supporters, and a changing of the guard in the heart of the Black Cats' midfield could be coming sooner than expected if the 20-year-old prodigy continues his remarkable and sooner-than-expected breakthrough in red-and-white.

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