Two Sunderland outcasts put in a brilliant performance for the U21s.
The start that Regis Le Bris has led his team so far this season has been incredible, with five wins in Sunderland’s first six.
They now sit 2nd in the table behind an in-form West Brom side, and it is a stark contrast to last season, where Sunderland finished in a lowly 16th position.
There was far from a fire sale at Sunderland this summer, and many of the players currently being utilised by Le Bris were also in-and-around the squad last season, which shows that he has done an incredible job in getting the best out of his side, despite a tricky 2023/24 season.
As a result of Le Bris’ ability to get the best out of his younger ranks, he may be starting to think twice about one Sunderland duo, who scored for the U21s in their most recent defeat to Everton.
Forgotten Sunderland duo score for U21s against Everton
Prior to the 2024/25 campaign kicking off, Le Bris made it abruptly clear that he was looking to utilise a small pool of players, which as a result would make it more difficult for outcast players to be brought back into the side.
However, two individuals who have not been part of Le Bris’ plans up to this point may have just staked their claim to be reintroduced to the first team squad after they both bagged goals against Everton U21s.
Both Adil Aouchiche and Abdoullah Ba got themselves on the scoresheet for the U21s in a 4-3 defeat, and after a brilliant performance at youth level, Le Bris may look to utilise the pair more after a combined 12 minutes of action between the two so far in the Championship this season.
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Regis Le Bris can repeat Eliezer Mayenda process with Adil Aouchiche and Abdoullah Ba
There are no doubts over the youth coaching abilities of Le Bris after over a decade involved in the coaching set-up with FC Lorient in France.
His abilities of working with younger players who are out of form has already come into fruition during his short spell so far at Sunderland, with him successfully turning around the career of Eliezer Mayenda, who has gone from struggling for game time with Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership, to leading the line for a top Championship club in a matter of months.
The same could easily be done for both Aouchiche and Ba, who have an average age of 21.5 between them, and clearly have the abilities to make a difference for Le Bris’ side.
Le Bris is particularly familiar with both French players, especially Aouchiche, who he coached at Lorient, and if he showed extra consideration in helping the pair reach their true potentials, then they could prove to be a real asset for Sunderland this season and far into the future.