Tony Mowbray labelled Amad an 'amazing footballer' after the on-loan Manchester United man scored a stunning goal and contributed an assist in Sunderland's win at Birmingham City. Winger Amad made the opener for Ellis Simms in the first half, and then scored a brilliant goal himself just after half-time as the Black Cats beat the Blues 2-1 at St Andrew's.
Amad started the game wide on the right ahead of Patrick Roberts, and Mowbray said that in itself is a measure of how highly he rates him. "As I've been saying, when you've got no strikers you have to find a way - who is going to score the goals - and Amad has come to the party," said Mowbray.
"I think there's an understanding now that this kid has got real talent and deserves to be well-respected within the football team. For me to pick Amad over Patrick Roberts, because I said a few weeks ago that I don't think there is a better footballer in the league than Patrick Roberts, yet I left him out for Amad tonight because in training he has been unbelievable with the ball, how fast he is, how direct he is.
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"You look at his physical data in every one of the last three or four games and he's had the highest distance covered, the highest sprint distance, the highest intensity energy runs. He played and scored a wonderful goal, but we see him do it every day.
"He's an amazing footballer. Somebody said he cost £37m from Atalanta when he joined Manchester United, so I find it difficult to think how he is at Sunderland, but probably the pressure of playing in front of a big crowd and he relishes it.
"He can run all day and he has the ball stuck to his foot, he runs past people and he can score goals like that. We're delighted he's here with us."
Amad went off midway through the second half after being caught in the eye, but Mowbray says it was not a serious injury and he will be fit long before Sunderland resume their Championship campaign following the three-week World Cup break. He said: "He got poked in the eye. His eye was really sore, he couldn't see out of it.
"I asked him if he wanted to stay on and he said he couldn't see and he was in a bit of pain. Hopefully that will settle down, and he'll be fine I'm sure."
There was a nervy end to the game when Birmingham substitute Lukas Jutkiewicz pulled a goal back with a little over ten minutes to go, but Sunderland stood firm to see it out. Mowbray said: "We found a way to see it out. The blocking late on when it was ricocheting around our box, and [Anthony] Patterson again made an amazing save - with his nose, he said, right in his face.
"Danny Batth was immense tonight in heading the first ball. When he was needed, he stood up. They all put a shift in and you have to do that."
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