One Sunderland man may have turned around his Black Cats career after the recent defeat vs Sheffield United.
The Black Cats’ sticky patch in the Championship continued against Sheffield United as they lost 1-0 at Bramall Lane.
The result has left Regis Le Bris’ side in a precarious 4th place position, with Sunderland undoubtedly looking behind their shoulders as a side only five points away from slipping out of the play-off spots.
Sunderland now have an upcoming clash against Stoke City to stop the rot, although their recent home record, particularly in front of goal, suggests that it could be a difficult tie for the Black Cats.
Whilst it was an expected result for Le Bris’ side based on recent form, there was the surprise in the form of a rare cameo from French midfielder Adil Aouchiche, and it could potentially be a sign of things to come.
Sunderland midfielder Adil Aouchiche must use appearance to turn around career
Black Cats midfielder Aouchiche has had a torrid spell at the club, which has seen him notch very little game time since his arrival from FC Lorient.
The 22-year-old managed 28 appearances throughout the 2023/24 Championship season, with 18 of those seeing him come off the bench, but this campaign has been very much more limited, in regards to time on the pitch. Prior to the Sheffield United defeat, he had managed just one substitute appearance in the second game of the season against Sheffield Wednesday.
Whilst in recent weeks it looked like Aouchiche’s Sunderland career was dead in the water, this short spell on the pitch last time out could potentially be a sign of things to come for the Frenchman.
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Adil Aouchiche appearance could be sign of relationship improvements with Regis Le Bris
Ever since Sunderland appointed Le Bris in the summer, the future of Aouchiche was one that was always going to be up in the air after the pair had somewhat of a frosty relationship at Lorient. It looked like that fate was set to be replicated after he had the ‘opportunity to leave’, until recently.
There is a slim chance that the recent sub appearance for Aouchiche could be a sign of things to come, and there is no doubt that Sunderland fans would welcome the reintroduction of the midfielder, who clearly has the potential to be a world beater, if he can put together a steady run of form and be consistent.
At the end of the day, it is down to Le Bris and whether he believes Aouchiche is worthy of a start, but as seen by the recent poor form from the side, it could pay dividends for the Black Cats boss to take a gamble with him.