Sunderland have received a major boost with news that Jobe Bellingham is fit to face Luton Town in the Championship, on Wednesday night. The 19-year-old midfielder missed the home draw against Watford with an ankle problem but is ready to line up against the second-from-bottom Hatters.
In addition, head coach Regis Le Bris revealed winger Romaine Mundle is in full training with the squad and that Tommy Watson is one week away from full contact sessions. Alan Browne is nearing fitness too.
Asked whether Bellingham would return on Wednesday, Le Bris hinted: “Yes, sure, we need our good players but at the same time, we spoke a lot about the idea that we need to have depth in the squad. Players have played minutes but don’t have that same level of experience. To be competitive in this league you need everyone.”
Those players are the likes of Salis Abdul Samed, Leo Hjelde, Ian Poveda and Milan Aleksic and Le Bris added: “It will be good for the future if we have more players involved in the different phases. It’s like a reinforcement of our squad. Even though the level is lower, it’s good for the future.”
Facing more physical teams like Luton has become a bit more problematic for Sunderland in recent weeks. Ahead of a run of games that could be crucial in the Championship promotion race, it is something they hope to get to grips with.
Le Bris explained: “I don’t know whether it’s a weakness. It’s just a question of style. You have a different style of play and you have to have players to play with that ambition.
“When we have to face teams who have big physical attributes we can struggle. But at the same time we have the potential, the solutions in the team, to solve many problems against this type of team.
“Against Watford we lost a little bit of organisation because at home we want to be dominant. When we had to run after the ball for long periods, rather than concentrate on our organisation, we tried to run more and that created an imbalance and gave the opposition an advantage.
“The game at Luton [won 2-1 in October] was this idea. We were well-organised and from that foundation we had to fight. Against Watford it was just a good reminder because our organisation is still fragile. Sometimes it’s not because we are lazy, it’s the opposite because we want to run more and create more.”
Fitting Dan Ballard into the team is an issue for Le Bris and he smiled: “It’s a nice problem for the coach. Dan Ballard is in a very good place. He didn’t play a lot but is still involved and that’s very important for the team spirit.
“We need competition and if one player is struggling we have a replacement.”
Are the conversations with players over selection difficult? “Not really,” said Le Bris. “They are smart. They have a shared goal, it’s not an individual goal. It’s a shared goal and you need maturity to understand that and you can have that at 17. In the dressing room the ideas are very clear and they can understand my way of working.”
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