Regis Le Bris has been told by Sunderland fans that he needs to drop one player from the lineup for fitness reasons — and they have a good point.
Sunderland strolled to a nice, comfortable 2-0 win over Luton Town on Wednesday night at the Stadium of Light, with goals from Enzo Le Fee and Wilson Isidor making the difference.
We loved the performance of every Sunderland player on the night, and the win keeps the Black Cats right in the hunt for automatic promotion this season.
However, as happy as fans were with grabbing three points and the manner of the win, there have been some criticisms sent towards Regis Le Bris after the game, and they’re totally valid.
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Chris Rigg needs a ‘long rest’ after latest injury scare
Teenage star Chris Rigg was once again in the starting lineup for Sunderland against Luton. He played fairly well, too, covering plenty of ground and getting stuck in when it came to the battle in midfield.
However, when the youngster was clattered in a hefty clash with Luton’s Mouhamed Lamine Fanne, many had expected Le Bris to withdraw Rigg from the game. That didn’t happen.
In fact, he played on for around another 15 minutes before being replaced by Eliezer Mayenda in the 75th minute. Sadly, fans think it was too late.
Taking to Twitter/X to share their thoughts, one fan wrote: “I think the club are running a great talent like Rigg into the ground. He should be rested and then should have been taken off when he got injured. He hasn’t been the same for a while hasn’t created anything or scored for a while.”
One supporter joked, “I’m sure Mayenda must be rolling his eyes. He only gets to come on when it’s past Chris Rigg’s bedtime,” while another added, “overplayed him and he gets injured, who would have thought?”
The suggestion is simple. “The bloke needs a long rest out this team,” one supporter stated.
Le Bris has been questioned for his decision to keep Rigg on after he took a whack on the leg, with one fan adding: “Just the 15 minutes late… the lad is running on empty, why keep him on after his knock?”
There’s no excuse, Regis Le Bris has plenty of midfield options
We’ve been saying for a while that Rigg should be given a break. He came back from an injury last month and was thrown straight back into the team and has barely stopped since.
While his performances are still fairly effective, he’s certainly not making as much of an impact as he has in the past, and that’s surely down to his fitness levels.
Now, surely, Le Bris doesn’t have a choice but to drop Rigg for a while and let him recover. Thankfully, the Sunderland manager has a bit of a midfield dilemma, but a good one, as he’s blessed with options in the middle of the park.
With Alan Browne returning from injury, Salis Abdul Samed being an option, and the trio of Dan Neil, Jobe Bellingham, and Enzo Le Fee being the likely preference in the middle, there’s really no excuse for Le Bris to push Rigg any further right now.