Experienced loanee Alan Browne may well turn out to be the perfect replacement for our beloved former skipper Jonny Howson.

After all, the midfielder knows all about life in the Championship, having played 381 league games for Preston North End and a few more in helping Sunderland to win promotion. Alan’s performance in his first start for the club will have done his future prospects on Teesside no harm at all.

To be fair, it looks as though Browne may have to wait to earn himself a regular place in the starting line-up, unless there are a run of injuries in his department. But he’s a great guy to have in the squad because he is likely to be one of those players who will keep a level head whenever the pressure is on.

Sunderland knew what they were doing when they snapped him up fr

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