Kevin Phillips reveals ‘concern’ that Alex Neil at Sunderland will have

The former Black Cats forward has spoken about Stewart following his substitution in the 73rd minute at the weekend.

Stewart came off due to fatigue in the side’s 1-1 draw away to Wimbledon last Saturday.

Phillips has warned that the club will need Stewart in their bid for promotion, so will need to manage his minutes to avoid a lengthy spell on the sidelines. 

“It’s a major concern,” said Phillips, via Football Insider. 

“From the outset, I’ve said there is an over-reliance on Ross Stewart to score goals. If he is missing, where are the goals going to come from?

“Nobody can expect Jermain Defoe to be the answer given his age and how little football he’s played this season. He’s not going to get in there and run the channels. He cannot do what Ross Stewart does.

“Therefore, Stewart’s fitness is a worry, especially given the run of form the team’s on at the moment. They’ve relied so heavily on him this season.

“Perhaps Alex Neil has to manage him a little bit. He might be given an extra day off or an extra recovery day just to get him right for the games. His availability is more important than anyone else.”

Sunderland are currently fourth in the League One table, following that draw with Wimbledon.

Alex Neil has taken over as the new manager of the club after the dismissal of Lee Johnson earlier in the month. 

He will be hoping Stewart’s fitness concerns don’t become a long-running issue as they enter the most important part of the season. 

The 25-year old striker has 18 league goals for Sunderland this season, which emphasises his importance to the team. 

Sunderland cannot afford for him to miss large chunks of the second half of the season.

They will need to keep him fit if they have any hope of earning promotion to