Corry Evans is back in training, and that’s great news for Sunderland!

After thirteen months out injured, Evans is finally closing in on a return to first team action. How significant is this for the team and the wider squad?

Corry Evans has finally made a return to full training after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, and after thirteen months and fifty eight games missed, his return to training is a huge boost.

We won’t see him for a few weeks yet, but it’s great news for a young group of players lacking confidence and experience when dealing with challenging moments.

When we speak about football ninety percent of the time, we speak about attacking players who score goals, make assists and can create moments of magic, but it’s the players who can do the simple things that often go under the radar.

At the age of thirty three, Evans is an elder statesman and he brings the kind of in-game management and experience that we’re currently lacking.

With more teams opting to play a 4-3-3 formation, having a player who can win the ball back, occupy good defensive positions and bring calmness to the side when things are tough is crucial for a successful team.

We have a young and vibrant side whose philosophy is to play out from the back and to play possession-based football, but one thing has been evident when Evans isn’t fit: that we lack a natural holding midfielder.

Since his injury, Dan Neil and Pierre Ekwah have been our first-choice midfield pairing when fit, and Edouard Michut and Alex Pritchard also occupied this role during their time at the club.

On the ball, they’re very good players but defensively they aren’t as strong, and this led to more teams being able to utilise the space between the defence and the midfield, which is hurting us and leaving our backline very exposed.

Whenever we lose the ball, we extremely vulnerable. The holding midfield position is one of the most important on the pitch, particularly with the common trend of inverted full backs venturing into midfield and creating an overload.

Having Evans back in the team wouldn’t simply provide cover in a vital position in front of the back four; it may also free up Neil and Ekwah to focus on what they’re good at, which is getting the ball on the half turn and creating attacking situations.

I also think both Neil and Ekwah will chip in with more goals, as they’re both good strikers of a ball.

The club’s transfer policy is regularly scrutinised by the supporters and rightly so.

Kristjaan Speakman has signed a lot of good young players, but one position that hasn’t been addressed is that of a holding midfielder.

The club have signed a total of seventeen players during the three most recent transfer windows, with only Jobe Bellingham and Ekwah establishing themselves as regular starters.

This summer, whether the club ties Evans down to a new contract or looks to move him on, this position simply must be addressed by the recruitment team.