Enzo Le Fee made his Sunderland return with a second-half cameo off the bench in the win over West Brom and one star will be particularly happy to see him return.
On Saturday, Sunderland beat West Brom 1-0, win over Tony Mowbray’s fellow play-off hopefuls West Brom.
In-form Trai Hume’s free-kick screamer was the sole goal of the afternoon and enough to earn Regis Le Bris’ side the three points at The Hawthorns which cemented their 15-point buffer inside the play-off places.
Another headline-grabbing moment in the Baggies win, was the return of Roma loanee Enzo Le Fee to the Sunderland side, following his return from an injury setback he suffered in February.
His 20-minute substitute cameo has the Wearside faithful excited to see what the Frenchman can produce as the Championship season reaches its climax, and one struggling Black Cats star in particular will be just as thrilled to see Le Fee’s Sunderland return.
Enzo Le Fee will help get Wilson Isidor back on form
Le Fee was in majestic form since his loan arrival in January prior to the injury he sustained against Hull City, scoring a sublime effort against Luton and was instrumental in the 3-2 win against Middlesbrough for which Le Fee earned rave reviews from supporters.
The former Lorient ace has been forced into an unfavoured role on the left-wing since his arrival, given injuries this term to Romaine Mundle and Tommy Watson. Le Bris has been warned against repeating this tactic, but could again with Mundle’s latest injury woe and Watson’s impending transfer to Brighton.
Regardless of his position, the Sunderland star licking his lips over Le Fee’s return to the field is countryman Wilson Isidor. Isidor has notched 12 goals so far in his debut Black Cats season after making his initial loan from Zenit permanent and has fast become a fan favourite.
However, the Frenchman has failed to find the net since the dramatic 2-1 defeat at Leeds back in February. With his goalscoring form drying up, Sunderland fans were unimpressed by his display at Millwall and his lacklustre outing against the Baggies has prompted fans to want him replaced by Eliezer Mayenda for Norwich.
In fairness to Isidor, his service of late has been poor and has seen the forward have only seven touches inside the opposition box within the most recent two wins. In Le Fee’s debut against Burnley, he played a wonderfully weighted ball behind the Clarets defenders for Isidor, which the striker snatched at and spurned the chance to put Sunderland ahead.
Isidor’s form could return to the level that has seen title-contenders Leeds interested in his abilities with his fellow French youth international back in the side, and could prosper even further depending on a tactical tweak from Le Bris.
Enzo Le Fee tweak will get best out of Wilson Isidor
Le Bris has two crucial calls to make over Le Fee, with the head coach needing to bed him back carefully following his injury, and allowing him to occupy his trademark central role. The latter decision is the most important, and would be a major benefit to Isidor’s quality and amount of service.
Chris Rigg is deployed as the most attacking member of Sunderland’s midfield three alongside Jobe Bellingham and Dan Neil. Despite Rigg’s form courting Premier League attention, the midfield starlet has only one assist to his name this season, with Bellingham and Neil notching three each.
| Sunderland player | Assists so far this season |
| Patrick Roberts | 7 |
| Trai Hume | 6 |
| Eliezer Mayenda | 5 |
| Jobe Bellingham | 3 |
| Dan Neil | 3 |
Patrick Roberts and player of the season contender Hume top the Black Cats’ assist chart, with seven and six respectively, and with Eliezer Mayenda on five, it highlights the glaring lack of goal contributions from central areas. This is where the supremely talented Le Fee can utilise his creative spark to make a decisive impact during the Championship’s run-in.
Le Fee’s return to the field will have sent shivering fears down the spines of Championship defences and the maestro loanee could eclipse his dazzling displays so far this term by finishing the campaign in his favoured central role.
The downstream benefits of that move for out-of-form Isidor, and therefore Sunderland’s promotion prospects, could prove to be the difference maker in the season-defining clashes ahead.