Sunderland fans told to 'get excited about' potential Jack Clarke replacement

Mike Dodds has told Sunderland fans that Romaine Mundle is a player they should be ‘excited about.’

Mundle arrived on a permanent deal from Standard Liege in January and was probably see by the club as the long-term replacement for Jack Clarke, who is all but certain to leave the Wearside club this summer.

Those plans have had to be accelerated though following Clarke’s ankle injury, which is expected to keep him out for around six weeks.

Mundle, therefore, should get a chance to shine in his place on the left side of the Sunderland attack, and Dodds says he sees a potentially special player in there – as long as he develops as expected.

“I'm a big Romaine fan and in the little snippets that I've seen, I see a raw talent,” Dodds said.

“I see a similar type of player to Jack [Clarke]. If he listens and works hard, there is always an element of luck in development as well, but I think we've potentially got a real top, top player.

“He’s going to be a big asset for us from now through to the end of the season for the last 12 games.

“I don't want to put too much pressure on him because the reality is if we did have a fully fit Jack, we would like to integrate him maybe a little bit slower and do the right thing by him.

“You can only play with the cards you get dealt, unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you're looking at it.

“Romaine's got a big future at this football club, and I think the fans should be excited about that.”