Régis Le Bris answers the Africa Cup of Nations question Sunderland fans have been asking…
Sunderland have made a fast start to the transfer window and have already recruited six players
Régis Le Bris says he believes Sunderland will have a squad capable of managing the departure of a number of players to the Africa Cup of Nations later this year.
Sunderland supporters have been enthused by a fast start to the transfer window in which the club have recruited six players, but there have been some concerns that many of them could be missing for a month of the campaign. Reinildo Mandava, Noah Sadiki, Simon Adingra and Habib Diarra are likely to be called up by their countries who have qualified for the tournament, while Chemsdine Talbi could yet be involved. Talbi has not yet been capped by Morocco but has confirmed his intention to represent them in the long run.
Le Bris says Sunderland’s recruitment team are fully aware of the situation but have prioritised signing the right players for the challenge ahead. And with Sunderland still looking to make a number of new signings before the season starts, he is confident there will eventually be a squad in place that can cope with the likely absentees.
“Obviously, we know [what could happen],” Le Bris said.
“At the same time, the market is the market and you can’t do always exactly what you want, about the African Cup, about younger players or more mature players… whatever it is [a club is looking for]. I think that at the end, we are going to have a competitive squad.
“I think even with this, we are going to have depth in our squad. It’s needed. We don’t know how long they will be gone, it will depend on the results. At the same time, I think the depth of the squad we will have will help to manage this situation.”
The Africa Cup of Nations is being held in Morocco, with the opening fixtures taking place on December 21st. The group stages conclude on New Year’s Eve, with the knockout stages then running until January 18th.
Sunderland team news latest ahead of Sporting Lisbon friendly
Régis Le Bris looks likely to name an unchanged squad when Sunderland face Sporting Lisbon in the second and final friendly of their trip to Portugal tomorrow.
Reinildo Mandava joined up with his new team mates on Saturday night after their 1-1 draw with Sevilla on Saturday, and trained separately on Sunday as he builds his fitness. The former Atletico Madrid left back was given extra time off after his involvement in the Club World Cup, and will join his new team mates in full training soon. Monday night’s game will come too soon, however.
Le Bris said: “We will take time to prepare him properly, we don’t need to rush the process. It is about him being ready for the start of the season.”
Nectar Triantis could be involved on Monday night having resumed full training with the group on Sunday. Le Bris explained that his absence from the Sevilla draw was not down to a significant injury but a desire to be cautious with a minor issue. Triantis was involved as the players were put through their paces in front of supporters at a training session on Sunday evening.
Anthony Patterson and Chris Rigg were not involved with the group session, and therefore appear unlikely to be in the squad tomorrow night. Both have trained this week and Le Bris confirmed on Saturday that there is no longer term issue with either player.
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