Sunderland assistant manager Eric Black admits the club may struggle to hold on to on-loan forward Danny Welbeck.
The Black Cats landed Welbeck on a season-long deal from Manchester United in the summer, and the teenager has impressed with three goals in his last two performances.
Welbeck netted against Premier League champions Chelsea on Saturday before scoring twice in Monday night’s draw with Everton, and Black admits it may become difficult to make the deal permanent should the striker continue to score goals.
The Sunderland No 2 said: “That’s the problem you have to face. If we can concentrate on the first bit and he can be exceptional for us this year and score 15 goals, we will deal with the other bit when it comes.
“But first and foremost, we need to have the problem.”
And Black added: “He is an exceptionally good player. I see him every day in training and he has got fantastic ability.
“He has now got the confidence. Probably what has stunted his development is he has not been able to play regular football week in, week out.
“He is now getting that opportunity and he has grasped it. He has got phenomenal potential – that’s probably why he is at one of the biggest clubs in the world.
“But hopefully he is flourishing here and hopefully we can hang on to him for as long as possible.”