Sunderland are back in action when they face Fulham at the Stadium of Light on Sunday afternoon
Régis Le Bris believes Jocelin Ta Bi can play part in Sunderland’s Premier League campaign after his encouraging cameo at Oxford United last week.
Ta Bi has now been in full training with his new team mates for around a fortnight following his January move from Maccabi Netanya. The 21-year-old made a positive impact at the Kassam Stadium and while he will gradually eased into Premier League action, Le Bris believes he can help the squad between now and the end of the campaign.
"Yes, I think so," Le Bris said.
"He fits the profile and the identity. I believe for our wingers now, it's really hard to design a plan with three, four, five, six consecutive games because of the difficulty and the demand of the Premier League.
“It's more about two players for one position. One can start and the other can finish. Maybe you can start two or three games in a row, but you won't go all the way often.
“If we can combine two and two, they will grow and maybe they will find the right level of confidence.”
Nilson Angulo is also ready to play a major part between now and the end of the campaign following his deadline-day move from Belgian side Anderlecht.
"I think their profiles are really well connected with our game identity," Le Bris said.
"We like playing with wide wingers, and it's not easy to fill this position, especially with young players. This league is so demanding that probably it's impossible right now to maintain the level [consistently]. So we started with young players, they were good sometimes, but struggled to maintain the same level.
"So we need more energy, maybe more depth, and those two players are there for that reason. And after that, with opportunities, we never know how they will grow. Sometimes you have really good surprises, because it's quick.
"Sometimes you need to support them for a long period. Maybe a loan is useful sometimes, but we believe that they will grow."
Sunderland are hopeful of a major injury boost next week, with Bertrand Traoré potentially returning to full training ahead of the trip to Bournemouth.
Régis Le Bris pays tribute to Luke O’Nien after Oxford win
Régis Le Bris has paid tribute to Luke O’Nien’s influence on the Sunderland squad after his return to the starting XI at Oxford last weekend.
O’Nien has had limited minutes since returning from a dislocated shoulder earlier in the season but has impressed in both of Sunderland’s FA Cup wins to date, winning man of the match in the 1-0 win at the Kassam Stadium.
The Sunderland head coach says the 31-year-old has a ‘rare’ attitude that is the perfect example for any of the younger players in the squad who are perhaps frustrated with their own game time at the club this season.
“He's really well connected with his attitude,” Le Bris said.
“I really want to highlight the way he behaves every day, he's so well connected with the lads.
“He's the club captain, but not the match captain. The way he connects with the collective ambition, first of all, and then his own way to manage every opportunity to grow is perfect. I think for the manager, coaching staff and for the young players as well, when they struggle because they don't play as they would like, you have a player like him, you say, I can be inspired by him. Sometimes in football, you can meet talented players with bad behaviours. If every day you have those behaviours under your eyes, maybe you will be inspired negatively. It's totally the opposite with him.
“His profile is really rare, so we have to enjoy having someone like him in the squad. He's always positive even when he didn't play a lot, but his behaviour is always connected with, one, the squad.
“Squad first, team first. And then two, I want to improve myself through different experiences, because you don't play, and as a footballer you want to play. But he can seize everything to get better.”
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