'Difficult' - Régis Le Bris admits fringe Sunderland player could leave when transfer window opens
Régis Le Bris has admitted the 20-year-old could head out on loan during the January transfer window
Sunderland head coach Régis Le Bris has confirmed that young defender Zak Johnson may be loaned out during the winter transfer window.
The Wearside-born centre-back enjoyed a successful stint in the League of Ireland last season with fans and staff members disappointed to see the former Hartlepool United loanee return to Sunderland ahead of the Championship season.
The 20-year-old Academy of Light graduate played for Sunderland during pre-season under Le Bris and was handed an opportunity earlier in the campaign against Preston North End in the Carabao Cup. However, despite being named on the bench 13 times in the Championship this season, Johnson has yet to play a single minute in the Championship.
“Yes, we'll see. It could be an option.” Le Bris said when asked about The Echo about the possibility of Johnson leaving on loan during the winter transfer window. “His reaction, the way he trains every day, is very positive. I like Zak in the training sessions, especially when he's a teammate on the bench.”
Le Bris added: “He's always positive, he's a good player. He needs time to develop. I think for him, it's more difficult because the back four is more consistent and probably if he had been a winger, it should have been different for him. But that's the case. And so far, he's very positive with the team and I like his profile.”
Johnson can operate at centre-back or right-back but has been limited by the good form of Luke O’Nien, Chris Mepham, Trai Hume, Aji Alese and Dan Ballard. During the summer, Johnson reiterated his desire to play first-team football last summer.
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“I don't think that would be a good experience only because I'm selfish,” Johnson told The Echo after the game against Blackpool during pre-season when asked if he would be content with being a squad player at Sunderland heading into the 2024-25 Championship season under Le Bris.
“As a player, you've got to be selfish. For me and my career as a centre-back, games is the most important thing. Minutes is the most important thing. So when I came back from Hartlepool, I was itching to go back out again and get men's football, and I did that. And now, after a successful loan in Ireland, I feel like I want that even more. So those feelings haven't gone away. I feel like the best thing for me is to get games wherever that is.
“Me dropping in and out of the Sunderland team. Yeah, it might be good because I'm a Sunderland fan. But ultimately, if you look outside of it, if you're looking at a defender who's in and out of the team or in a team consistently, that's more impressive. So no matter where I go, I want to be in the team as much as I can, getting trust from the manager and playing as many games as possible.”