£5k-a-week Sunderland AFC star can help fix Enzo Le Fee problem - He can frighten EFL defences | OneFootball

Romaine Mundle could be set for a major role in Sunderland's promotion push following Le Fee's hamstring injury setback.

Sunderland's Premier League promotion push has taken a significant blow with the significant injury to star Roma loanee Enzo Le Fee.

The 25-year-old midfielder has been ruled out for around six weeks with a hamstring problem, after quickly showing himself to be a top-class player at Championship level following his loan move from the Serie A giants in January.

It's a setback that arrives at a highly frustrating time for the Black Cats, as they look to cement a play-off finish over the coming weeks, as well as continuing to pursue the automatic promotion spots until that door closes.

However, when one player goes down, there is always the opportunity for another to step up and fill the void. Luckily for Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris, he might just have a ready-made remedy to his attacking ailment.

Romaine Mundle has had to remain patient for Sunderland opportunities since Standard Liege move

A player of Le Fee's quality is difficult to replace, but Romaine Mundle could be the one to fill his boots.

The 21-year-old winger made a deadline day move to Wearside in the 2024 winter transfer window, arriving from Belgian outfit Standard Liege.

Having come through the ranks with Tottenham, a move to Belgium presented him with his first opportunity to kickstart his senior career.

However, after spending just the first half of last season with the club, Sunderland came calling, seeing the Englishman as an ideal prospect to fit their recruitment model, which is largely centered around signing, developing and selling on young talent.

Opportunities were fairly limited for Mundle to impress in the second half of last term though, with just 11 Championship appearances consisting of five starts and 485 minutes of league football - per FotMob.

As such, he looked every bit of a raw talent who might need a fair bit more time and patience before he would start shining at the Stadium of Light.

Romaine Mundle primed to make big impact in Sunderland's promotion push in Enzo Le Fee's absence

However, when given the chance to impress in his first full season as a Sunderland player, Mundle has shown signs of being a young winger who's taken significant strides in his development in a short space of time.

Following Sunderland's 2-2 draw with Coventry City on 9 November - a game in which he bagged two assists, the left-sided starlet had already registered four league goals on top of those two assists.

But, like Le Fee, he too would suffer the agony of a hamstring injury after that match. He wouldn't be seen involved in the matchday squad again until the 2-1 defeat to Leeds United on 17 February.

However, after coming off the bench to replace the stricken Le Fee for the second half of the Black Cats' 1-0 defeat to Hull City on 22 February, Mundle is now back and raring to go once again.

The return of the £5,000-per-week man couldn't have been timed much better given the current circumstances either, and his underlying numbers in the Championship so far this season would suggest he could have a huge impact on Sunderland's promotion hopes.

Ahead of Sunderland's Friday night clash with Sheffield Wednesday, Mundle's average of 0.34 goals per 90 minutes ranks him among the top 85.9 percentile of second-tier left-wingers - per FotMob.

His 84.4 percent passing accuracy puts him in the top 87.2 percentile, whilst his 2.35 successful dribbles rank him among the top 93.6 percentile respectively - per FotMob.

Mundle also ranks strongly in successful crosses per 90 (1.42), duels won (6.7 per 90), chances created per 90 (1.59) and fouls won per 90 (2.43) - per FotMob.

Typically when a player of Le Fee's ilk goes down with a significant injury, panic ensues among supporters and there is often a real drop-off in quality between them and their replacement but Mundle can help ease that blow.

Whilst losing their talismanic Frenchman will undoubtedly hurt the Black Cats, their talented young winger looks primed to provide an effective and impactful alternative for Le Bris to deploy.