RLB: ISIDOR/ALEKSIC

Regis Le Bris has spoken about Wilson Isidor who ha sstarted just one of Sunderland's last four games, and also Milan Aleksic who has struggled for game time since joining the club in the summer.

FITS THE SYSTEM

“He's doing well. Last season, he didn't play a lot, so this season, he plays regularly in the team. He was impressive because he scored many goals and he was very important for the team. He switches very well with the game model and the players we have in the squad because he likes running in behind, for example. So it's very important to stretch the line to be able to threaten the opponent in behind and he scored goals."

FORM IS TEMPORARY

"For a striker, it's like the goalkeepers and so on, you always have this dynamic and it's difficult to maintain the level so we had a short period when it was a bit more difficult and it gave the opportunity to Eli to show his good qualities as well."

COMPETITION UP FRONT

“So now we have two good strikers and we should be happy. The competition is still not easy to manage because they would like to play every game but it's not possible and for the team, it's better to have two good strikers but at the same time I think now he's in a really good place.”

REACTION TO BEING BENCHED

“Yes, strengths and weaknesses in the same line. He's very emotional, so it helps him to reach a certain level, but at the same time, it could be a problem, so I think he's doing very well, and he's learning from these different experiences.”

ALEKSIC 'DISCONNECTED' BUT NORMAL

“I spoke with Milan this morning and it was exactly the content of our conversation. He struggled for probably the last couple of months because he didn't have many opportunities to play, he was a little bit disconnected at that moment and I think it's a normal dynamic for a young player. Especially abroad and he still has good qualities and probably these games with his national team were important for him to reconnect with his culture, to get confidence and the final sprint he will have the opportunity to play and it's up to him as well to stay connected and to show this resilience which is really required for the team and for the players.”