Sunderland are set to be without striker Brian Brobbey for at least a fortnight
Régis Le Bris has urged Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda to seize their opportunity as Sunderland begin a crucial run of fixtures without Brian Brobbey.
Brobbey has emerged as the club’s first-choice striker in recent months after his deadline-day move from Ajax, leading to fewer opportunities and goals for Isidor and Mayenda. Brobbey, however, is facing a minimum of two weeks on the sidelines with a groin issue and so Le Bris will be looking to the pair to step into the void as Sunderland face up to three fixtures in eight days.
Both were linked with January departures, albeit in Mayenda’s case on loan. The Sunderland head coach says he is confident both are fully focused on the opportunity ahead and has praised their efforts behind the scenes.
“After the end of the transfer window, you need to reset.” Le Bris said.
“You might have expectations, but if it’s not done, now it’s time to focus on your job. It’s done for both of them. It’s good to have two strikers, even without Brian. We wouldn’t be able to be efficient with just one. They are still learning in this league. Eli is still really young, Wilson is a bit older but still hasn’t played very much in the league. You can’t be mature without getting that experience. It’s a tough position, and you need maturity and those experiences. You need confidence. They are doing well from a behaviour perspective, but on the pitch it has been a bit harder for them. But we keep supporting them.
“Eli and Wilson are really good people, really well-connected with the group,” he added.
“They are nice guys and they are working hard, but especially as either a goalkeeper or a striker, the end product is so important. The weight on players in those positions is big, and it is not always easy to get to where you need to be in this part of the game. It is part of their learning process, and it is really just a question of time, support and opportunities. The group is small, that is the way we designed it. Even if you have a month without playing, you know that your opportunity will come. We have 21 players – so far we didn’t have many injuries, but that can always change, as you saw at the weekend when we had injuries to four players in the same game. The door is open now for other players. We trust those players, even if they have not really played for a few months. You know you will have opportunities – then it is just a case of seizing them or not.”
Le Bris says Sunderland will have to adapt in Brobbey’s absence but is confident in his side.
“They are both a bit different to Brian,” Le Bris said.
“Wilson is keen to go in behind, with longer or shorter runs. Eli can hold the ball up, but in a different way to the way Brian probably does. Eli wants the ball more to feet rather than holding the ball with his chest or holding off defenders, so it is a bit different. But I think we have the ability to adapt whatever we do. We will see at the weekend.”
Régis Le Bris’s Sunderland injury update ahead of Bournemouth clash
Le Bris revealed in his pre-match press conference that Nordi Mukiele is also facing two to four weeks on the sidelines with a calf problem, while the club are also assessing whether Romaine Mundle and Jocelin Ta Bi need surgery on hamstring and ankle injuries respectively. Both are facing extended spells on the sidelines if so.
Dennis Cirkin is likely to be out for another ten days with a hamstring issue, while Reinildo will hopefully be back from a knee injury in time for the Tyne-Wear derby.
The positive for Sunderland is that Bertrand Traore is back in full training, and Granit Xhaka back in contention for a place in the starting XI.
Continue Reading