Why Sunderland’s Joel Asoro Will Go On To Make It Big In The World Of Football
Young Joel Asoro played very well in only his 17th senior appearance as Sunderland came back to draw 3-3 against Middlesborough this weekend. The Swedish under-21 international also bagged only his second goal, against Boro, and the forward did so with true striker’s instinct.
He got in between the defenders and the goalkeeper to stab in a goal at the Stadium of Light. His performances in a Sunderland shirt and at youth level for Sweden have attracted the likes of Watford, PSG, Inter Milan, Valencia and Lyon and he has also been praised by former Newcastle scout Graham Carr and Arsenal scout Bobby Bennett.
Asoro is an attacking midfielder who can also play on the right-wing, although it was as a striker where he really seemed to settle in his previous match for Sunderland. His key attributes are pace and dribbling, which are key skills if, for example, he was to go to Arsenal.
He has played 9 times at under 21 level for Sweden despite being only 18 and the step up into the Sunderland first-team (at a difficult time for the club) does not seem to have phased him. It would be a very big leap if he were to go to a top side from one of the big leagues in Europe but he would be confident of being able to make an impact.
When Asoro came into the Sunderland team against Hull, Chris Coleman, the Sunderland manager, was full of praise for the youngster who scored the goal to give Sunderland the win. Chris Coleman has worked with some amazing attacking talents in the past, including Gareth Bale, so praise from a man like that must give Joel Asoro the confidence that he can make it at a very high level.
Joel Asoro, at the moment, is a very raw talent who is getting first-team experience at Sunderland because of the dire situation that the club finds itself in. But the way Asoro has grabbed his opportunity with both hands has put some big teams on high alert.
He will have the opportunity to develop in the Sunderland first-team until at least the end of the season, but if he continues to put in performances like the one he did against Middlesborough, he will find himself in the top tier very quickly.