Sunderland were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Huddersfield Town on Tuesday night
Régis Le Bris is considering using Wilson Isidor on the left wing on a more regular basis after watching the Frenchman impress there against Huddersfield Town on Tuesday night.
Sunderland were knocked out of the Carabao Cup on penalties after a poor first-half display left them trailing at the interval. That led Le Bris to switch formation, Sunderland moving from 4-4-2 back to a more familiar 4-3-3. Most of Sunderland's best play in the second half came down the left flank where Isidor was a regular threat.
It's a position he played in a lot in the earlier years of his career, but since arriving at Sunderland he has played almost exclusively as a centre forward. With Romaine Mundle out until October with a hamstring injury, Sunderland don't have much depth on the left wing.
They are working to try and add another option in that part of the pitch before the transfer window closes but in the interim, Isidor has emerged as a viable option.
"We spoke with Wilson early in the pre season about his versatility and the demands of the Premier League - we need different options," Le Bris said.
"We need pace. We need starters and finishers. Wilson, if he can start as a nine, finish as a nine, start as an eleven, finish as an eleven, like he did this evening, I think it's a good option for the club."
Elsewhere, Le Bris confirmed that Alan Browne could depart before the end of the transfer window having not been part of the matchday squad.
Le Bris on Sunderland’s Carabao Cup defeat
Despite the disappointing result, Le Bris insisted that that he was pleased with the effort of his players and that they had not done their chances of getting Premier League minutes harm.
“Yeah, a bit disappointed, because we always want to win and it wasn't the case at the end.” Le Bris said.
“The main purpose of the evening was to win and we failed. It's not the only learning, because I think we struggled a bit during the first half. We need to test different options. On the pitch we had many new players, so we have to experience in real conditions, as was the case this evening. If it doesn't work, try another option. I think during the second half it was much better. I think it's positive for the future, especially for Saturday.
“Probably the formation change was important, because we tested two forwards during the first half and it was tough, probably because of the shape and the low block,” he added.
“In the second half, with Wilson on the left, Marc in the middle and Pat on the right, we tried the 4-3-3 and it worked well.
“I think the energy was positive. Sometimes you can struggle, but you feel that they try. Obviously, the starting line-up was new, so you can't just decide and it works perfectly from scratch.It doesn't work like that. I think Huddersfield played with desire and intensity. They were well-organised and scored a fantastic goal.It was a good context for the development of the squad. At the end, if you try and work well but the output is negative, it doesn't mean you won't be selected for the next game.”
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