Sunderland midfielder Habib Diarra shone against Burnley on Monday night
Ex-Sunderland icon Kevin Phillips has claimed that Habib Diarra will “definitely feel like a new signing” for the Black Cats having made a barnstorming return to the starting XI on Monday evening.
The midfielder, who has missed large swathes of his debut campaign in England due to injury and international commitments during the African Cup of Nations, registered a first strike for Regis Le Bris’ side in a 3-0 victory over Burnley earlier this week, and might have had a brace were it not for an earlier effort deflecting off Clarets defender Axel Tuanzebe and going down as an own goal.
And as the 22-year-old prepares to assume a more prominent role in Sunderland’s plans moving forward, Phillips has suggested that the Senegalese talent has the requisite attributes to make a success of his time on Wearside.
What did Kevin Phillips say about Sunderland midfielder Habib Diarra?
Speaking exclusively to The Echo, courtesy of BestBettingSites, Phillips said: “He’s a club record signing - £30 million it was - so a lot of money was spent on him. He hasn’t had a lot of game time, and what he needs now is a good run in the team.
“With [Granit] Xhaka injured, he’s been brought in and has shown his quality. He’s gradually getting better and better, and his performance the other night was very, very good. I have to say, against a very poor Burnley team, but getting his goal, potentially could have had two, would do his confidence the world of good.
“It’s great to see him out there with a smile on his face because he’s got quality, he’s got talent. You heard the other players say that. So, it would definitely feel like a new signing if I’m the manager there and the owners. Really, really good to see him on the pitch performing.”
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What did Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris say about Habib Diarra?
He said: “It's a new signing for us. We spoke together this week about a new start. We supported him through his injury, then through AFCON and we were absolutely convinced that when he comes back with us, he will have the quality as a player, but he's really competitive as well. He wants to win, he wants to press, he wants to score and he gives us this energy, which is really important in this league.
“He was one of our first signings, so he set the tone for us when we decided to go with him and he agreed, obviously. He came late in the squad, but now I hope he will continue this kind of performances.”
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