Dayann Methalie played his first Premier League minutes as Sunderland lost 5-3 at Man City
Régis Le Bris praised Dayann Methalie for a promising debut against Manchester City and said the defender showed he has 'huge potential'.
Reinildo's suspension left Le Bris with a difficult decision to make as to whether he gave the summer signing his Premier League debut in a challenging fixture, and his decision was vindicated by an encouraging display. Methalie was shown an early yellow card for a foul on Iliman Ndiaye, from which Enzo Fernandez scored the host's opening goal, but managed the game well thereafter and showed some of his obvious ability on the ball throughout.
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Le Bris says Methalie still has a lot of room for improvement but made a positive first impression as he looks to kick on and force his way into the side on a more regular basis.
"I think he did well," Le Bris said.
"It was a difficult start against one of the best teams, I repeat. But he did really well. He's really young, talented, he needs experiences to get better so it was the perfect situation for him.
"He's looked good since he came. The answer is on the pitch so it's probably the best answer. Because he's so young he still has room for improvement but his potential is huge."
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The other clear positive for Sunderland on an ultimately frustrating day was that Brian Brobbey opened up his account for the campaign with a superb hat trick.
Le Bris had backed the striker after a strong performance against Arsenal last Saturday, and said it was only a matter of time before he got himself on the scoresheet. The head coach said the signs from the striker have been positive for a while and the striker is clearly improving.
"We were not concerned about him not scoring in the first four games," Le Bris said.
"He showed so many good signs during training sessions - his mentality, on the pitch, in the Premier League and Europa League, it was just a question of time. The connection with his teammates is getting better so I'm really pleased for him. It's never easy to have a long period without scoring. Now it's done."
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