The international break has come at just the right time for Sunderland, with the Black Cats in desperate need of a reset. And, when they come back, there’s a small handful of players Regis Le Bris needs to use more often to get the best out of his squad.
Sunderland’s recent form has been spotty, to say the least. Defeats against Leeds and Hull were followed up by victories over Sheffield Wednesday and Cardiff, which gave hope of an outside shot at automatic promotion.
However, a draw against Preston last week, and the heavy 3-0 defeat against Coventry at the weekend has all-but cemented the Black Cats’ place in the play-offs.
The problem is, Regis Le Bris’ side appear to be stranded in fourth place, leading to suggestions that motivation is becoming an issue for the team.
But, Le Bris has highlighted the fatigue within the squad as a major issue. He has a point, too, with some Sunderland players playing far too many minutes this season.
Jenson Seelt
The young Dutch defender finally played for the first time under Le Bris at the weekend, albeit briefly, and it’s been a long time coming. Jenson Seelt underwent knee surgery almost exactly a year ago, and his recovery has been a ‘frustrating’ journey full of ‘small steps’.
Sunderland’s defensive line has been depleted in recent weeks with injuries to Aji Alese and key man Dan Ballard. Essentially, Le Bris has been relying on Chris Mepham and Luke O’Nien at centre-half, but that’s simply not sustainable to expect them both to play every single game from here until the end of the season.
Now that Seelt is back in contention, Le Bris will surely utilise the 21-year-old more, although it will require a steady reintegration process. This international break will be crucial to getting him up to speed, and hopefully, he can allow Mepham and O’Nien that rest they sorely need as we build towards the play-offs.
Leo Hjelde
It was revealed last week that Leo Hjelde actually turned down a Sunderland exit in January, and it’s a good job he stayed put.
He may have suffered a ‘small injury’ last week, but Hjelde is still becoming an important squad player for Le Bris, and his versatility in defence will be incredibly valuable from here on out.
With the ability to fill in at left-back or in the middle, Hjelde can support either Mepham or O’Nien, or more likely, step in for Dennis Cirkin, who has his own fitness issues to deal with at the moment.
In fact, of the players Regis Le Bris needs to use more, Hjelde is probably the most likely to get substantial minutes, and rightly so.
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Alan Browne
After missing three months with a broken leg, Alan Browne must have been chomping at the bit to get back in the mix for Sunderland. He’s had to be patient, though, and very flexible, too.
Le Bris raised eyebrows when he played Browne on the right wing against Coventry, a failed experiment that should never be repeated. Browne is a central midfielder, and a good one at that.
With the likes of Dan Neil, Jobe Bellingham, and especially Chris Rigg looking exhausted at the moment, surely it’s time to put Browne to good use in the middle of the park and let the key players rest so they can maximise their impact in the play-offs.
Milan Aleksic
Of all the players Regis Le Bris needs to use more, it would be fair to say Milan Aleksic is probably at the back of the queue. The Serbian is young and very raw, and the Sunderland manager has been reluctant to lean on him too much this season.
Aleksic has shown promise when playing for the Under-21s, though, and Le Bris has challenged him to follow Eliezer Mayenda’s example to forge a path to the first team.
With Ian Poveda and Salis Abdul Samed picking up injuries, Aleksic has jumped up the pecking order by default. We know the 19-year-old has talent, and if given the chance by his manager, we could well see Aleksic surprise us all in the business end of the season.