The 22-year-old left winger joined Sunderland from Tottenham Hotspur last summer and has established himself as a regular starter in Tony Mowbray’s side.
On Tuesday, Mowbray deployed Clarke in attack alongside Joe Gelhardt against QPR and the winger helped Sunderland grab a 3-0 victory by scoring a brace.
Collins stated that he agrees with the criticism that Clarke has not performed at his usual level in recent weeks and pointed out that his performances against Fulham and QPR are examples of what the winger is capable of.
The former Sunderland player added that he wants to see Clarke play on the left side, picking up the ball from the sidelines and attacking the opposition defence, similar to how Amad Diallo and Patrick Roberts do on the right side.
“I understand a few people who say he has not been quite at his level in recent weeks and that is probably fair enough from the standards he has”, Collins told Sunderland TV.
“A couple of goals against Fulham in the cup and then he has had a couple of goals again this evening.
“When he gets the ball, that’s where I want to see Jack, on the left hand side.
“Tonight, Tony opted to play him through the middle alongside Joe Gelhardt, but I would like to see Jack on the touchline like Patrick and like Amad on the far side, picking the ball up and driving defenders towards their back.”
Clarke has made 33 outings for Sunderland this season and has scored eight times while racking up seven assists.
