Sunderland are back in action when they face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday aftternoon
Régis Le Bris says Sunderland's wide players will succeed at Premier League level given time but admits it's a part of the pitch where positions are still up for grabs.
While Le Bris has quickly settled on the core of his starting XI in an excellent start to the Premier League campaign, in the wing positions he has rotated heavily and has often deployed Enzo Le Fée on the left. Le Bris was asked in his press conference ahead of the clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday whether it was a position the club would look to further strengthen in the January transfer window, and said that it was too early for such assessments.
He stressed the challenge of playing out wide in the Sunderland team at the moment, which comes with significant defensive responsibilities.
"It's part of the process, especially with the wingers," Le Bris said.
"I think that this position is really hard to play because you have to defend, you have to attack. You have to sprint, to counter press and then you have to be efficient in both boxes. It's really demanding and especially in our game model and our way of playing. It just takes time. We need to support and challenge our players, but we trust them.
"At the minute it's fair to say this part of the pitch needs development but we believe these players can compete at the level. It's a question of time, they need support and they need challenging because this league is very demanding but I repeat: we trust them."
Chemsdine Talbi is pushing for a recall to the starting XI at Stamford Bridge, having impressed off the bench at Wolves and registered an assist for his team's second goal.
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Le Bris issues major Romaine Mundle update
Sunderland's options in the wide areas will get a significant boost next month when Romaine Mundle returns from injury.
Speaking earlier in his press conference on Thursday afternoon, Le Bris revealed that the winger had been given the all clear from a specialist to complete the final stages of his recovery from a hamstring injury.
Le Bris said: "Any player wants to be in the squad and the injury in Portugal was really disappointing for him because he worked really hard in the summer to be at his best level.
"He is really close, now. He had his last appointment with the specialist about his injury and he was given the green light. So he should be connected with the squad within a couple of weeks.
"It's really important [to be careful] and avoid a reinjury but this is what the surgery was designed for. Conservative treatment was an option but because he had a second injury, the staff decided it was the best option to go for surgery. The feedback from that surgery was really positive, so he should be stronger. So now it is just a question of confidence and he will need maybe two weeks to be 100%."
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