Gus Poyet insists Connor Wickham has all the attributes to become a top-class Premier League star.
However, conceding Sunderland are still learning how best to make use of his “plenty of qualities”, the Black Cats head coach says the striker must retain focus while supporters concerned at his development remain patient.
The 21-year-old arrived at the Stadium of Light in a £8.1 million move – rising to £12 million – from Ipswich Town in June 2011, signing a four-year contract.
Yet despite an impressive record of six goals in 17 England under-21 internationals and one prolific loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday (he has had one other at Hillsborough, plus another at Leeds United) when he scored eight in 11 appearances, Wickham has struggled to make an impact on Wearside.
He has six goals in 46 outings under four permanent Sunderland managers – Steve Bruce, Martin O’Neill, Paolo Di Canio and Poyet – and caretaker bosses Eric Black and Kevin Ball.
The last two of those goals came in Wednesday’s 2-2 Premier League draw at Manchester City.
Poyet believes the forward can use his club’s current predicament – away to Chelsea today, bottom of the table with four further games to play – to his advantage in the hope of mutual benefits.
While wary of comparisons, the Uruguayan highlighted Manchester United’s patient development of Cristiano Ronaldo as a blueprint of how best to mould a young player to fulfil his potential. He said: “I think he has everything to play in England. He is strong, big and has an incredible shot with power.
“He likes to link. Of course, he needs to learn certain things and how we play at certain times.
“I didn’t want him to be taking long throws, because he should be heading it. Now he isn’t taking throws.
He gave up something to do something for the team and that is learning and adapting.
“I think he has plenty of qualities.
“Sometimes this team and previous teams in the last few years didn’t use his qualities in a certain way.
“Maybe it was just a pressure of performing because you are the youngest one and the others had bigger names.
“Maybe he needed that run in the team others had but he never had.
“In the situation we are in he can take advantage for himself because he is playing week in, week out. That’s the best thing that can happen for Connor.
“The more he plays and the more he performs the better chance we’ll have.
“The most important thing is for him to score, because he will be totally different in the next few games.
“My challenge is to keep him in that state of mind. Focused. Not ‘I’ve scored two goals. I can relax’.”
Just 18 when he left Ipswich to join Sunderland, Wickham had by then played 72 times for the Tractor Boys – albeit with a decent return of 15 goals.
Yet asked if he was of the opinion the player had curtailed his Championship education prematurely, Poyet added: “It depends on the time you get as a coach or as a manager with a young player.
“If you go out and buy a young player for £8 million, how long do you have to make him the player that you want? Or does he need to perform tomorrow?
“The biggest improvement I have seen in a player in the Premier League is Cristiano Ronaldo.
“When he arrived at Manchester he was just a tricky player doing oversteps.
“Two years later he was the best in the world. Why? Because Manchester United took him in a certain way.
“They had time to let him grow up slowly and make him a football player with the right mentality.
“Maybe at other clubs when you spend £8 million on a player you want to see something straight away.
“Players can have potential but sometimes you don’t get the time to work with them.
“Maybe the time is now, maybe he needed to go through that spell for him to stand up and maybe we needed to be in this situation for him to play week in week out.”
Besides gerrard gets the shot away if it's on, if not he plays in one of his team mate, he doesn't cling on to the ball, ignoring team mates and letting defenders recover before he shoots. If the shot is not on he gives it, pass and move and all that jazz.
