The young Sunderland man could finally find his feet under Regis Le Bris after a difficult 2023/24 campaign.
Sunderland faced South Shields in their first pre-season friendly under new French coach Regis Le Bris, where they won 5-0.
It was the first chance for Le Bris to see his team in action, with many youngsters being given the opportunity to showcase their talents with the first team.
Youngster Chris Rigg managed to get on the scoresheet, as did Frenchman Adil Aouchiche, who will have something to prove to Le Bris after previously playing for him at Lorient.
The second half also saw a team made up of youth players take centre stage, including Portuguese striker Luis Hemir, who struggled in-front of goal in the 2023/24 Championship campaign.
However, there was one star performance which suggested that Le Bris has managed to turn his career around at Sunderland and could play a significant role in this 2024/25 Championship season.
Sunderland youngster Eliezer Mayenda shines for Sunderland in pre-season
Spanish striker Eliezer Mayenda managed to get on the scoresheet in Sunderland’s pre-season outing after converting a penalty.
The 19-year-old was brought down following a darting run through the centre after he was played through on goal, before being clumsily brought down by the South Shields defender, with a penalty being awarded.
Mayenda was quick to gain his plaudits from his performance, with Ethan Todd on X writing: “Mayenda looked very promising during that first-half for me.
“Looks fit and firing with some top high pressing and direct runs and a deserved goal – hopefully signs for optimism with him under Le Bris.”
Will Regis Le Bris be able to turn Eliezer Mayenda into a Championship striker
Following today’s brilliant performance from Mayenda that was topped off with a goal after winning the penalty, questions are being raised as to whether Sunderland fans will finally get to see the best of the youngster under Le Bris.
The Spaniard was given eight appearances last season in the Championship, however he was unable to find the back of the net.
He had previously shown goal scoring ability in FC Sochaux’s youth side, however has since been unable to carry that into senior football.
The striker will be keen to build on this positive performance, with Le Bris undoubtedly one of the best coaches to get some momentum going in Mayenda’s development.
The physical abilities are clearly there following the pre-season performance, with both pace and strength clearly visible in the youngster’s game, it’s just a case of Le Bris unlocking that consistent goal scoring prowess in the striker for him to really develop into a player that could make a significant difference for Sunderland in the 2024/25 season.