Régis Le Bris has praised Dan Neil for setting a perfect example to the Sunderland dressing room this week.
Neil gave away a penalty in the latter stages of the defeat to Watford at Vicarage Road last Saturday, speaking to club media after the game to acknowledge his mistake. The 22-year-old responded with a strong showing as Sunderland bounced straight back to winning ways against Derby County days later, after an open analysis of the penalty incident at the Academy of Light.
Le Bris reiterated his view that there had been a number of errors across the team in the build up to the foul and praised his young midfield for the maturity they showed in the second half at the Stadium of Light.
“It’s a good example of the learning process,” Le Bris said.
“He is one of the best players we have on the ball and you can see on Tuesday how well the situation was managed. On the bench, we feel that maybe we can do some things better but on the pitch, they are very comfortable and explained how they decided to manage the game [on the pitch]. We can trust them.
“The midfield is very young but I don’t think age means mature. These players are young but they are mature in how they understand the game and manage situations. I’m very happy with them.”
Le Bris is unlikely to make any changes to his midfield for Leeds United’s visit on Friday night, stating that he believes Chris Rigg can handle a third start in six days despite his inexperience.
“I think he is capable of doing it,” Le Bris said.
“This experience is very useful for Riggy and the whole team because when you have three games in a row with only three days to recover, you cannot just play with energy alone. You have to play with your head and your mind. Instead of thinking this is a difficult part of the season and you complain maybe. No, it is a good opportunity to grow and to find new solutions to perform.
“For Riggy, because he is a robust player, he can play three or four games but to be efficient, he will need to be clever and it is an opportunity to test that attainment.”
Alan Browne is likely to play a key role as a substitute after recovering from a minor knee problem.
