Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris drops Enzo Le Fee hint for Bristol City, he ‘doesn’t want’ one outcome

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Roma loanee Enzo Le Fee has returned to action for Sunderland, and fans desperate to see him start as Regis Le Bris shares selection hint for upcoming Bristol City clash.

Sunderland booked their spot in the Championship play-off places last week following their 0-0 draw at Norwich City.

The Black Cats followed that up on Saturday with a substandard 1-0 defeat at home against Swansea City in which Regis Le Bris’ catch-22 situation ahead of the play-offs was laid bare.

Sunderland’s hopes of finishing in an automatic promotion spot will be mathematically over if they fail to beat Bristol City on Friday.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LeedsLeeds	42	25	13	4	82	29	53	88
2	BurnleyBurnley	42	24	16	2	57	13	44	88
3	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	42	26	7	9	57	33	24	83
4	SunderlandSunderland	42	21	13	8	57	38	19	76
5	Bristol CityBristol City	42	16	16	10	54	45	9	64
6	CoventryCoventry	42	18	9	15	59	54	5	63

Roma loanee Enzo Le Fee is one star, in particular, Sunderland fans are desperate to see more of him during the play-offs after his return from injury. Le Bris has dropped a major selection hint on his chances of starting at Ashton Gate.

• READ MORE: Where are Tony Mowbray’s 22/23 play-off first leg Sunderland squad now

Regis Le Bris drops Enzo Le Fee selection hint for Bristol City vs Sunderland

Le Bris admitted Sunderland “struggled” to create chances against Swansea and were devoid of any dynamism until Le Fee entered the field on the hour-mark.

Roma loanee Le Fee arrived on Wearside in January in a signing seen as a monumental coup for the second tier, but the Frenchman’s time at Sunderland has been hampered by a muscular injury.

The former Rennes ace had barely featured for parent club Roma during the opening stages of the campaign and was thrust straight into the Sunderland starting XI given injuries to left-wingers Romaine Mundle and Tommy Watson.

Le Fee started eight games on the spin – with Sunderland still in contention for the title – before suffering an injury in their defeat at Hull in mid-February, and has recently returned to Sunderland action off the bench.

Sunderland fans believe he is their “only hope” for the play-offs and Le Bris is desperate to avoid another injury to the creative midfielder, with his technical prowess and skill possible to turn the promotion tide in Sunderland’s favour.

Ahead of Friday’s clash, via the Northern Echo, he said: “We don’t want to rush the process. He played 30 minutes (against Swansea) and will probably play a bit more at the end of the week. Slowly and gradually, we will have the best result possible.

“It wasn’t possible to build Enzo gradually when he first arrived. The left side was completely open, and he played many games.

“It wasn’t possible to manage his minutes, and we don’t want to repeat, I wouldn’t say mistake because the race (for the top two) was open, but we just have a different opportunity now. We can manage him gradually.”

Le Fee’s absence for Sunderland has been symptomatic with their performance levels with the Black Cats stuttering prior to the play-offs. Thankfully for Le Bris, the Frenchman’s Swansea cameo suggests he’s set to reinject some life into their promotion push.

• READ MORE: Sunderland star beats Championship rivals in key statistic

Enzo Le Fee’s return will get best out of struggling Sunderland star

One Sunderland star who has suffered in Le Fee’s absence is Wilson Isidor.

Sunderland fans bemoaned Isidor’s Swansea performance after he was caught offside four times in the first half and yielded the fewest touches, 16, of any player on the field on Saturday.

The Frenchman set the second tier alight in the opening stages, with his 12 goals putting him in Championship Golden Boot contention, but has failed to find the net in his last nine appearances.

Le Bris must solve Isidor’s goal drought ahead of the play-offs, and the answer may lie with the return of Le Fee for Sunderland.

Isidor’s intent to play on the last line of defence, using his raw athleticism to steal a march on centre-halves, catapulted him to become one of the most prolific forwards in the division this season.

The return of Le Fee’s creative spark brings a better standard of service to Isidor – than he has contended with of late amid Sunderland’s dwindling form – certain to help the 12-goal striker get back to his best and propel the Black Cats’ promotion prospects.