Sunderland were unable to grab a winner against Everton on Monday night, but Granit Xhaka still walked away from the Stadium of Light with the full support of the Black Cats supporters. It was Xhaka who levelled the scores for Sunderland immediately after half-time, with his first goal since joining the club this summer.

When Granit Xhaka made the surprising move from Bayer Leverkusen to AFC Sunderland last summer, many Bundesliga fans shook their heads in disbelief. The Swiss national player, at 33 years old likely

It’s hard to think of a better summer signing by a newly promoted Premier League team than Granit Xhaka to Sunderland. He was outstanding against Everton.

Most fans will point to Granit Xhaka as the star of the show for Sunderland, and rightly so. The skipper scored his first goal for his new club to fire them level early in the second half, and was dominant in the middle of the park from there on.

If you want to understand Everton’s problems over the last decade you only have to look at how bad their centre-forward signings have been. It was a shocking miss from the latest, Thierno Barry, that cost them dearly against Sunderland.

Former Sunderland striker Marco Gabbiadini spoke to BBC Radio Newcastle about Granit Xhaka's development as the club's captain: "He exemplifies a top professional. "When he was an Arsenal player at times you felt like he was a bit of a villain.

Former Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka has stepped into the side this season and become a real leader. Le Bris praised the Swiss international and says he brings hope and faith to the side.

Sunderland manager Régis Le Bris has praised captain Granit Xhaka’s crucial leadership role. This comes ahead of Monday’s Premier League encounter with Everton. Le Bris described the Swiss