Former Sunderland icon Kevin Phillips has hailed Jules Ahoka for his performance in the Black Cats’ 1-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday afternoon, arguing that his emergence could be a “huge plus” this season.

The Democratic Republic of Congo youth international was introduced just moments into the contest at the Stadium of Light after captain Granit Xhaka was forced off injured, and went on to produce a Man of the Match display in the heart of midfield. Ahoka’s appearance over the weekend was just his 11th in senior football to date, but while Phillips has conceded that Xhaka’s potential injury could represent a setback for Sunderland, the popular pundit has also admitted that the 20-year-old’s emergence looks to be a real positive for Regis Le Bris and his side.

Speaking exclusively to The Echo, courtesy of BestBettingSites, when asked about Xhaka’s fitness concerns, Phillips said: “It's a blow, because he has been top class since he's come to the football club. But I always say, when one door closes, it's an interesting opportunity for someone to step through and take their chance. And the young kid, Jules Ahoka - a new signing at the football club, it's only his second appearance in the Premier League.

“You could see he was visibly nervous coming onto the pitch, but boy, he didn't look it when he got on there. I thought he was absolutely outstanding in the centre of the park. Six foot three, a powerhouse. I think he and [Noah] Sadiki really controlled that midfield area. “I wouldn't say it was his debut, but for him to come on against Chelsea and put in a performance like that at the Stadium of Light, at a time when we probably needed more experience on the pitch, I thought he was outstanding. So a huge, huge plus for him. “Of course, it's a negative that Xhaka misses out; hopefully it's not too long. I know he hasn't gone away on international duty, so hopefully that's a plus.”

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Phillips also delivered his view on Sunderland’s performance writ large, suggesting that the Black Cats produced a display much closer in tone to the stellar form they showed last term.

He said: “First and foremost, it was a much better performance. It was almost like last season's performance. So whatever the manager has been working on, or whatever he said, he got a reaction against a side that, on their day, can really, really hurt you. They had to be up for it, and they were. The tempo, the pressing, everything just fell into place. They defended much better, and obviously got that opportunity. Got a bit of luck along the way, as we all know, but you need that. So yeah, much, much better performance.

“I think the only downside to it now is that they probably would have liked another game instead of the international break. But you can look at that as a positive for players to get back who have got niggles. So a much improved performance and a much, much needed three points.”