Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris must correct the lack of involvement for one young star over the international break.
Sunderland lost to Coventry City at the weekend, with Haji Wright bagging a hat trick to put the nails in the coffin of the Black Cats’ miniscule automatic promotion hopes.
Regis Le Bris’ side were far from their best, as Sunderland fans slammed Dan Neil for his performance, whilst Chris Mepham was highlighted for his defensive errors.
One man that showed fight was Sunderland striker Eliezer Mayenda, but it was clear that his lack of action on the ball was sourced from the difficulties that the Black Cats faced in the centre of the park, where they were outnumbered by Frank Lampard.
With the international break now underway for the Black Cats, Le Bris must prioritise getting one man up to first team level, one that he has praised recently.
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What Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris said about Milan Aleksic amid lack of game time
Sunderland signed Serbian youngster Milan Aleksic in the summer for a seven-figure fee, but has only been handed the one start for the Frenchman in the 2024/25 Championship season.
His most recent action in the league for the side was a 31 minute stint in a 2-2 home draw against Watford, which has since been followed up by seven successive games of the 19-year-old being an unused substitute.
Despite his lack of action, Le Bris is a fan of Aleksic, who he regards as a ‘talented [player] with many young skills’.
The French boss has also said that the ‘phenomenal’ Serbian will ‘need time’ to get back up to speed, but ‘he’s building his foundations and we’ll see for the next stage’.
Regis Le Bris must give Milan Aleksic a fair stint after the international break
There was plenty of optimism and excitement whirling around Wearside after Sunderland signed Aleksic, considering he had vast experience with FC Radnicki, where he made 87 appearances in all competitions and had scored 20 goals and assisted 18, plus the fact that he arrived for such a high fee.
Unfortunately, he just hasn’t been handed a fair chance in the side yet, despite showing fight and energy when we have seen him, something that was clearly lacking in the defeat to Coventry City.
The international break must be used to, if he isn’t already, get Aleksic up to speed. The price tag he arrived with shows that Kristjaan Speakman must believe he is at least close to first team level, and he must be handed that game time as a result.