This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Comment’ series, this content strand is where the author of the article issues their personal opinion on the topic at hand....

Sunderland fans might not have been inspired by some of their summer business, but overall, they do have the best squad in League One by far.

In terms of depth, there is at least one player for every position and whilst some might feel they lack genuine options in wide areas, they’re still pound for pound the strongest set of players outside the Championship.

One area they’re laden with talent is in the midfield. Losing Lee Cattermole could have been a huge blow, especially as he sat nicely in their 4-2-3-1 system last season. Jack Ross wanted to come away from that, but very quickly he’s slipped back into the same routine.

The two holding players in that formation are vital. They must protect the defence, offer support to the attacking players and have strong tackling and passing attributes.

With it being the central area of the pitch, an area where they see most of the game ahead of them but are involved when it’s in behind, it’s a great place to have natural leaders. Jack Ross likes to see Grant Leadbitter in there, a player perhaps lacking legs but with superb knowledge of the game.

That means next to him must be a younger, vibrant footballer with a better engine and fitness. That’s recently been Max Power, although against the more attacking teams for Celtic man Dylan McGeouch is a good option.

That’s left former Walsall captain George Dobson out in the cold. He started the first two games of the season, both draws, which drew the ire of fans. He slipped out of the side as their winning run began and has featured briefly from the bench since.

He won’t have joined Sunderland to come on from the bench, but he doesn’t currently fit the formation Ross wants to play. He would be ideal for Leadbitter’s role, but perhaps doesn’t have the experience. Alongside Leadbitter, Max Power is going to be preferred for his attacking prowess in games they need to kill off.

Whilst George Dobson’s capture seemed like a coup, the former West Ham man has got to be fearful for the future. If he’d stayed at Walsall, he would have remained top dog and whilst League One is perhaps the right stage for him, Sunderland may prove not to be the right venue.

He would have walked into almost every other side in the division, some as the marquee signing of the summer. However, after establishing himself in senior football with the Saddlers, he’s in danger of regressing back to ‘promising youth’ at Sunderland.

Once you’ve been a first-team regular, losing that momentum by sitting on the bench is extremely dangerous, not least for your reputation.

He’ll be hoping to get back into the side soon, but he might look at the likes of Jack Baldwin, a senior League One captain moving to Sunderland and failing, and worry a little about what the future holds.