Sunderland’s forward line are on fire at the moment, but fans have barely seen Aaron Connolly in action this season under Regis Le Bris.
Of all the summer signings Sunderland made, few have been quite as confusing as the acquisition of Aaron Connolly.
Sunderland are doing pretty well without Connolly, to be fair, but the fact the striker has played just 240 minutes across 10 Championship appearances this season does not paint a pretty picture for the 24-year-old.
Now, with the January transfer window open, and Sunderland fans calling for a new striker, Regis Le Bris has offered some insight into what’s happening with Connolly.
Regis Le Bris set to have conversation with Aaron Connolly over his future
Speaking to the Northern Echo, the Sunderland manager was asked about the pecking order in his forward line and what the future may hold for Connolly this month and beyond.
“We’ll see,” Le Bris said. “It’s still important we have this discussion and conversation with him this month and we’ll look to build the best pathway for our players. Sometimes it’s not your story. We don’t know at the moment what will be the outcome, we’ll have this conversation.”
On the reason why things have played out the way they have for Connolly, Le Bris added: “I think it’s more a question of momentum. We spoke a lot with Aaron. Eliezer Mayenda started well and then was injured. After, Wilson Isidor was very good and they built momentum [together].
“When you have this momentum you have to trust the players. If I change every time it doesn’t make sense. For Aaron, he’s still a good player and teammate, but he has to wait.”
Sunderland have outgrown Aaron Connolly very quickly this season
The problem for Connolly is, when he signed on a free transfer in the summer, Sunderland’s expectations were probably that of a midtable Championship side, at best.
With a new manager at the helm, and a very young squad, the Black Cats have far exceeded those early predictions and Sunderland are now on track for promotion against all the odds.
Le Bris has done a fantastic job getting the best out of his Sunderland squad, and frankly, Connolly is just not the player they need now.
With Isidor rated as one of the best strikers in the league, and Mayenda making the most of Le Bris’ faith, there is simply no space for Connolly to get a breakthrough any time soon, and he will almost certainly be released at the end of the season.