Sunderland team news
On team news, Le Bris said: “Dan Ballard [will be back] probably for Aston Villa. Romaine Mundle will be targeting a return around the next international break in October.
“It’s a bit longer than expected for the others. For Dennis [Cirkin], we have to wait a bit. He didn’t heal completely after his wrist injury, and he had an issue with his knee as well.
“So he needs to rest a bit. Luke O’Nien should be ready around Aston Villa. Leo [Hjelde] struggled with his achilles, so it’s a bit longer than expected as well. He had the surgery for both achilles, he worked hard last season to be connected with the squad, even if it was painful.
“But now, it’s like Dennis, he has to rest completely to be able to connect with the squad later. Aji [Alese] is close to coming back but after a long period without playing, it’s still tough to reconnect with the level. So we’ll have to wait a bit.”
Story of the summer
Sunderland have been aggressive in the transfer market, with Le Bris aiming to build a squad that is more than capable of retaining Premier League status.
The added departure of Jobe Bellingham, last season’s star man, placed extra emphasis on the club to get quality through the door.
Granit Xhaka is the standout name of the new arrivals – the Swiss international has also been made club captain – but turning the gifted Enzo Le Fée’s loan move into a permanent deal could prove the most important piece of business in the club’s recent history.
Re-establishing themselves as a Premier League force will be difficult after so long away, but Le Bris seems to have a built a side packed full of energy and skill.
Talented local lad Chris Rigg, Noah Sadiki and record-signing Habib Diarra offer strong midfield options, while goalkeeper Robin Roefs has looked a solid option between the posts following his summer arrival from Eredivisie side NEC.