A lesser-seen Sunderland player could quickly go into complete first-team exile under Regis Le Bris.
Sunderland now have plenty of competition for starting spots this season, following the club’s impressive summer transfer haul.
Kristjaan Speakman and Sunderland signed four new players on deadline day alone, leaving the Black Cats with nine new signings over the summer.
Several of them are yet to feature, or are yet to have featured all that regularly, whilst Ian Poveda has been ruled out for six weeks following a really tough start for him.
But it’s not been a tough start for the Black Cats who sit in 1st place of the Championship table after a 2-2 draw with Leeds United last time out.
The international break is now upon us. But for Regis Le Bris, there’s already been a set-back, with Dan Ballard and Jobe Bellingham reportedly injured on international duty.
Elsewhere, on a much more positive note, Aaron Connolly made his debut for the U21s.
Aaron Connolly features for Sunderland U21s, but it’s bad news for Nazariy Rusyn
Sunderland signed Connolly on a one-year deal last month, bringing him out of the dark following his release at Hull City at the end of last season.
Le Bris has tipped Connolly to make his debut after the October international break. And on Monday, he featured, and scored twice, in Sunderland U21s’ 6-0 win vs Derby County.
It’s a hugely positive sign for Connolly and Le Bris, who may now have no reservations about bringing Connolly into the first-team picture after this international break.
But for Nazariy Rusyn, who also featured for the U21s on Monday, Connolly’s rise up into the first-team could force him into complete exile at the club.
Nazariy Rusyn now facing tough spell at Sunderland
Sunderland signed Rusyn from Ukrainian outfit Zorya in 2023. But he’s been a disappointment since, scoring twice in 21 Championship outings last season and having yet to score or assist in six Championship outings this season.
All of his appearances have been from the bench, and he offers very little other than a pair of fresh legs at the end of a game.
Now with Connolly starting to find fitness, and being able to offer fresh legs and also a goal-scoring nouse, it could spell really bad news for Rusyn.
Connolly could be a straight-swap for Rusyn on the Sunderland bench when the Black Cats return to action vs Hull City later this month.
And despite the injury to Poveda, Le Bris says that it’s a chance for Tom Watson, who’ll likely be ahead of Rusyn in the pecking order too.
It could be a really tough stretch for Rusyn between now and January.