JACK ROSS has challenged Chris Maguire to keep on proving he can lead by example in the final third to boost Sunderland’s attacking power in this season’s League promotion race.

Maguire scored his first hat-trick in English football, more than eight years after hitting three for Aberdeen against East Fife, to secure the Black Cats’ last win against Wimbledon on Saturday afternoon.

His goals highlighted how potent he can be in the final third and his manager does not think his impact in that particular game was a coincidence.

Ross has been demanding more from the 30-year-old this season, believing that he should be further up the pitch because of how dangerous he can be in and around the penalty area.

Despite having an eye for goal and creativity in his boots, Maguire had never scored more than one in a game for Sunderland before and struck nine times last season – albeit during a campaign which was hampered by injuries too.

Marc McNulty’s injury and Will Grigg’s dip in form has opened the door for Maguire to be asked to play further forward and he was asked by Ross to play closer to lone striker Charlie Wyke against Wimbledon. After his first treble inn more than eight years, he is likely to be asked to stay high.

Ross said: “He’s more than capable of playing there. He likes working with us, he likes my staff and he has a good relationship with me but I’m on top of him all the time because he possesses quality, there’s no doubt he’s a good player. His first goal showed that in particular.

“He’s prepared to do that (play as an out-and-out centre-forward), it’s just keeping him on it all the time. When he does it he’s a really effective player for me and he’ll play all the time.

“There are still times when I get frustrated because he drops too deep to get the ball. We started him as a striker but he’ll drop off. You start him sometimes as a ten and he drops off further.”

Ross continued: “People say it shouldn't matter (where he starts) but I think it does with him. If we start him as a striker he doesn't drop off as deep because we encourage him not to come too deep because you can't really affect the game from there.

“We have had him in possession high up the park and it's just making sure we keep doing that. He wants the ball and when he wants the ball too much he can drop too deep.”

Maguire was the star turn against the Dons, on an afternoon when Sunderland’s impressive display was delivered in from of the prospective new owners.

Everything has effectively been agreed with current owner Stewart Donald that will see American investors Glenn Fuhrman, John Phelan and Robert Platek take control and hold the majority shareholding in the company. They will then have billionaire Michael Dell, founder of Dell Technologies, as a passive minority investor.

The EFL have to ratify the takeover and officially complete the process but the three Principals of MSD Partners LP, created in 1998 to manage the assets of Dell, will have been impressed with what they saw and the atmosphere at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

Before that Sunderland are hoping to conclude a deal for defender Joel Lynch. The 31-year-old left QPR at the end of last season and has been in discussions with Ross, who also still wants another full-back.

“I would hope we would have another central defender before the end of the week and we're still pursuing a left-back. The centre-back is pretty much done,” he said.

“He's (Lynch) the person we're trying to get in. He just gives us another body in a central defensive area with experience at a higher level. We feel as if all round the pitch we have strength in depth.”

If Sunderland do land a new left-back then he will be up against Denver Hume for a shirt. The young academy graduate impressed on his return to the side after he was preferred to Conor McLaughlin, who has played out of position to cover for the youngster in recent games.   And Ross is full of praise for Hume. He said: “We knew how we wanted to play on Saturday, and we knew our full-backs would get out and I thought it was important we had that balance on that side of the pitch. We knew we'd have him high up the park and that's where his strengths are.

“I'm pleased because he had a good performance because it was a difficult couple of games for him, he's a young man still and it's great to see him take opportunities and play well."

Hume started the season but was then disappointing at Ipswich so Ross decided to act, and he has since carried an injury too. He is such an attack-minded full-back, though, and the Sunderland boss knows how important he could be to the team's play down the left hand side.   “I said to him after Ipswich when he was taken off and didn't play well that it was how you respond to it. To be a professional footballer for the next 10, 15 years he's going to have to do that. To be able to do it at 20 years-old was good, pleasing, and he'll be able to take confidence from that.”

Sunderland’s fourth win in a row, third in the league, lifted them up to fourth in the table but level on points with those above them, Ipswich, Blackpool and Wycombe after five matches.

Ross said: “I don’t really look at it. It's nice to see us up there, joint top in terms of points, but ten games is when it starts to form. But it's nice to see us up there, nice to see us in this vein of form.”

Wimbledon boss Wally Downes was less satisfied after seeing his team tormented by Hume and Co. The Dons are still without a win this season.

Downes said: “It was a very tough game. We didn't help ourselves by conceding in the second half very early. It was difficult to come back from one down. We said at half-time we had a chance to win the game.

“Although we weren't a great threat, we were still in it. To give one away when we gave it away, it's a big ask.

“I'm sure Sunderland in the same scenario could march on and roll over teams. At 2-1 although we weren't really in the game, they weren't threatening. With the resources they have, definitely they'll be challenging again.

“We haven't got the amount of points we'd like. That's the first time we've been beaten by more than the odd goal."