Sunderland told why they will now struggle to make the playoffs.

Sunderland have been compared to Championship favourites Leicester City.

Speaking on When You’re Smiling: A Leicester City Podcast, Matt Piper admitted that Sunderland were ‘very similar’ to the Foxes, but doubted their staying power.

Sunderland pitched the youngest starting line-up in the second tier so far against Birmingham City at only 21 years and eight months. The Black Cats were in a similar position last season, where they offloaded the older players and brought in fresh faces such as Pierre Ekwah, Aji Alese and Jewison Bennette.

Albeit with a lot more money, Leicester have gone for a similar approach following their relegation from the Premier League. Enzo Maresca, a very young manager himself, has signed players such as Callum Doyle (19), Issahku Fatawu (19) and Cesare Casadei (20).

It is Leicester that sit top of the Championship table though, 13 points ahead of Sunderland.

Despite the Black Cats’ policy so far proving to be very successful, Matt Piper has doubted their youngsters’ ‘staying power’.

Speaking on the podcast, the former Sunderland man said: “Sunderland are very similar to us; there are quite a lot of young lads and you just think have Sunderland got the staying power? I don’t know they have.”