Troy Deeney says £10m Sunderland player was simply ‘exquisite’ vs Nottingham Forest

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Troy Deeney was impressed by one Sunderland squad member after their latest Premier League victory.

The Black Cats have made a seamless transition to the English top flight, winning three of their opening six games and only losing one.

Sunderland currently sit fifth in the table, and picked up another impressive three points this past weekend away at the City Ground against Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest.

Sunderland also kept another clean sheet during the 1-0 win, and a member of the defence caught Deeney’s eye.

Troy Deeney believes Omar Alderete was part of an ‘unbelievable’ defensive performance

Omar Alderete played a key role in Sunderland’s win against Nottingham Forest, not only from a defensive perspective, but also at the other end of the pitch.

He scored his first ever Premier League goal in what ended up being the match winner, and his overall performance led to him being named in Deeney’s BBC Sport team of the week.

“That back six had an unbelievable game. They dug in, they ground out a win, and it just goes to show, especially for new teams coming up, it doesn’t matter how you win.

“You’ve just got to get the win and get it done. I thought Alderete was exquisite.”

Alderete joined Sunderland during the summer transfer window for £10million from Getafe, and he has wasted no time settling into the Premier League.

The 28-year-old has started the last five matches for Sunderland after coming off the bench on the opening day of the season, becoming a pivotal member of the squad

Troy Deeney was also impressed by two more Sunderland players

Alderete wasn’t the only member of the Sunderland squad who made it into Deeney’s team of the week, as he was equally impressed by Granit Xhaka and Robin Roefs.

Sunderland’s shot-stopper has been having an impressive season so far in the Premier League, and Deeney believes he’s the sole reason why they won the game at the weekend.

“The reason Sunderland ended up getting a win at Nottingham Forest was because of him. He made about seven top saves in the game, very good.

“When he came in there were a lot of question marks around dropping Anthony Patterson who had gone through the leagues with them. Roefs has been solid since he’s been in the Premier League.”

Xhaka’s signing caught many fans off guard due to his history playing for Arsenal in the Premier League, but he has thrived for the Black Cats, and that continued at the weekend.

“Proper captain’s performance. Granit Xhaka has gone in there from Bayer Leverkusen. He is learning, he is holding this group together, holding them all accountable, driving them forward.

“It was a real dogged performance, and he was at the heart of it. That Sunderland win was huge. Away from home against Forest, and they got absolutely peppered, but just dug in, and they will go from strength to strength.”