Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris has revealed why he left Wilson Isidor out of the starting XI for the Championship clash with Sheffield Wednesday on Friday night.
The forward has been one of the Black Cats’ shining lights this season. One of the top goalscorers in the league, he has impressed since initially joining on loan before making a permanent £3million move in January.
Isidor’s form has not gone unnoticed, with Premier League duo Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace keeping tabs on the frontman. Leeds United – one of the clubs Sunderland are vying with for promotion – are also monitoring the player and are believed to be keen on the Frenchman should they go up this term.
Isidor scored a stunning solo goal against Leeds a fortnight ago, but then struggled against Hull City, missing a golden chance in the Stadium of Light defeat. Having played a lot of games recently, it was decided by Le Bris to rest the 24-year-old, with Eliezer Mayenda handed a start at Hillsbrough.
It proved to be an inspired decision. Mayenda bagged both goals in a 2-1 win that keeps Sunderland’s automatic promotion hopes alive.
“Wilson has done really well this season and for sure is one of the best strikers in the league,” Le Bris explained.
“At the same time, we need two or three strikers to be competitive in this league. It was the right time for him to recover a bit and Eliezer was ready, he’s trained properly and been connected with the team.
“Eli is still learning, and you can learn even from the bench. He has shown character even when he was on the bench, and this was his reward. We have a very good striker [Isidor] and this is good for me.
“We need competition and we can feel that the players understand it’s needed to be competitive as a team. You can’t have just one striker, we need at least two and we are very lucky.
“In previous seasons, maybe it was difficult for Sunderland in this position. We have two now and we have to use them properly.
“The players are competitive and they want to win, they are frustrated when they don’t play but we are really open with them. We can discuss every subject, even the hard ones, and Eliezer understood.”
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