The Black Cats captain was an unused substitute against Real Betis
Dan Neil of Sunderland
Sunderland's Dan Neil(Image: Getty Images)
Sunderland could be facing a major decision over the future of captain Dan Neil after he remained as an unused substitute in Saturday’s pre-season friendly defeat against Real Betis.
Le Bris handed an immediate start to new signing Granit Xhaka after he joined the club in a deal believed to be worth around £17million earlier this week and the former Arsenal star was also handed the captain’s armband for the meeting with the La Liga outfit.
Xhaka was joined in midfield by fellow summer additions Noah Sadiki and Habib Diarra, with Enzo Le Fee coming off the bench to replace the latter during the final half an hour of a somewhat low key contest at the Stadium of Light.
Current club captain Neil remained as an unused substitute as the game came to a close and Le Bris appeared to drop a major hint over the the Academy of Light product’s future as he assessed his options in midfield after the defeat.
He told Chronicle Live: “It is the part of the squad where we have a good level of competition. We have Riggy (Chris Rigg), Enzo (Le Fee) was on the bench today, so there are different options and experience, maturity.
“There are young lads, there is competition and we will need them to start and maybe three players will be the starters with two or three to finish the game.
"So it’s really important to have this balance and hopefully that will be the case in other positions.
“It’s always relative because it’s a new squad first of all. So I think after every session, after every game, you learn something from their level, the way they work together in that game model. So it’s new for them and I repeat, competition is necessary to raise the level.”
Although Le Bris described reports linking Sunderland with an ambitious move for RB Leipzig striker Lois Openda as ‘fake news’, there appears to be an acceptance the Black Cats still have work to do during the final weeks of the summer transfer window.
There is no question the Frenchman’s squad has been improved in the aftermath of last season’s Championship play-off final win against Sheffield United after the Stadium of Light hierarchy backed Le Bris with over £120 million of new additions.
Granit Xhaka of Sunderland
Granit Xhaka started for Sunderland against Real Betis
(Image: Getty Images)
Improvements at either end of the pitch appear to be on the agenda before the transfer window comes to a close on the first day of September and a move for Chelsea striker Marc Guiu appears to be moving a step closer with the Spanish youngster set to arrive in the North East to undergo a medical ahead of a season-long loan stint on Wearside.
With a ninth signing of the summer transfer window in the works, Le Bris remains hopeful ‘two or three more steps’ can be taken to allow his side to compete in the Premier League during the new season.
He said: “We have to make many improvements because we know the level will be high.
"But from the beginning of the season, if we look back, we can see we made many steps and I hope we will be able to make two or three more steps we have to do to be competitive."