Granit Xhaka has shone during his time at Sunderland.
Sunderland midfielder Enzo Le Fée has claimed that teammate Granit Xhaka is the “best captain” that he’s had “in his life”.
The Swiss veteran arrived on Wearside during the summer transfer window, and has immediately endeared himself to supporters with a series of influential displays in the centre of the park.
For his part, Le Fée also completed a permanent switch to the Stadium of Light this summer, having initially joined Sunderland on a loan agreement from AS Roma back in January, and in a fresh interview with Stadium Astro, the playmaker has confirmed that Xhaka is just as popular amongst his new teammates as he is amongst the fanbase.
What has Enzo Le Fée said about Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka?
When asked to name the Sunderland summer signing that has made the biggest impact on Wearside, Le Fée replied: “I think Granit. Granit Xhaka, because he's, for me, the best captain I've had in my life, in my career, because he's a really good player, of course. But for me, the captain role is not enough to be good on the pitch, and he's a really, really good guy. He tries to take care of everybody. He tries to give us the best environment. He changes a lot of things here in Sunderland. So for me, I would say Granit.”
Le Fée was also asked about the two players theoretically being in “competition” for a place in Regis Le Bris’ starting midfield - even though Xhaka tends to play in a deeper role and Le Fée has largely featured as a winger this season - to which he responded: “Yes, of course. But, like I said before, we are a family. We are in the same boat. We want to go in the same way, everyone. So, of course, everyone does their best, because they want to play. Everyone wants to play.
“I don't know someone who wants to stay on the bench. Everyone is a challenger. So, yeah, we fight, but like... How can I say? We fight in a good way. But if I can play before Granit, I will do my best. Like, when he plays, he will do his best. So, yeah, everyone tries to bring something to the team. And even when you don't play, you have to do the job. So, for the moment, we try, everyone, to do our best. And that's it.”
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Earlier in the interview, Le Fée was asked about Sunderland’s recent momentum, and whether he felt it was a continuation of the play-off form that saw them battle their way to promotion back in May.
He said: “We saw the last three years, every team who came up, they came down straight. We know, and the club knows, if we wanted to stay in the Premier League, we need to bring really good players. We need young and good players, and some players with more experience. It's the case with Granit, Reinildo, Omar [Alderete].
“So, yes, of course, the club worked well this summer to bring good players to create a really good team, because it's not only the qualities to create something together, like a family, and we did it. So I think it's the most important, because when we're going to have a bad game, we need to be together to stay stronger and to wake up early. So I think we have a really good team as a group, as a family. So this is the most important.”
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