I watched Sunderland trio try and impress Régis Le Bris at the Stadium of Light - here's how they did

It's now two years since Jewison Bennette announced himself as a Sunderland player with two explosive appearances from the substitute's bench.

The first, his debut, saw him burst past his opposite number on countless occasions as Sunderland ran out 3-0 winners at Reading. Days later, he would hammer home a late equaliser at Watford to spark some of the wildest away-end celebrations of the season. Tony Mowbray rightly preached patience with such a young player but confidently predicted that Championship full backs were in for a shock.

The first thing to say here is that in the context of a young player moving to a new country, a new league and learning a new language, two years really is not time at all. Still just 20, Bennette has time firmly on his side both in terms of his Sunderland career and his footballing journey more broadly. Sunderland will know, though, that his current position risks stagnation. The Black Cats began their International Cup campaign against Athletic Club de Bilbao B at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday night, a significant moment that underlined the resurgence of the club's academy. It was their first appearance in the competition since 2017, a sign of how the first team has recovered from the double relegation of that time and how the academy has been able to better retain and attract talent as a result.

The game, which finished as a competitive 2-2 draw, was a big moment in the development of the club's strongest academy talent but also served as a chance for a handful of senior players to build their match fitness in a more competitive environment. Bennette played 90 minutes in the game but it was notable that he operated at left back, pushed out of position by the stellar form of Tommy Watson. Watson has been in stellar form throughout 2024, the subject of deadline-day bids from Brighton & Hove Albion and the scorer of Sunderland's equaliser in this game. That he played off the left flank ahead of Bennette clearly reflects that he is considered closer to first-team selection at this stage. Bennette's attitude and work rate in the circumstances were exemplary. He drove up and down the flank for 90 minutes and stuck at his task throughout. The level of performance was broadly what you would have expected: he was a constant threat going forward but often exposed defensively. With Watson looking to cut in from the left and Bennette able to offer a natural outlet overlapping, there were times throughout when the visitors struggled to cope with their pace on the left. The Costa Rican probably should have had an assist late on, his wicked cross to the back post head at the goalkeeper by Timur Tutierov. Going the other way, Bennette was given the unenviable task of defending against Athletic Club's most dangerous player in former Liverpool winger Elijah Gift. He stuck at his task but unsurprisingly found it tough going.

Sunderland would argue with some justification that U21s football is about development rather than results, and so actually putting Bennette in these situations where he can focus on and develop the weaker parts of his game will be a positive in the long run. All the same, no one would suggest that this was the plan two years ago and it leaves the club with a real challenge to get the right programme for the winger in the months ahead given that he is clearly not in Régis Le Bris' plans. There are still some transfer windows open where Bennette can go on loan but Sunderland don't want a repeat of what happened earlier this year, when a move to Greek side FC Aris produced very few senior minutes. There had been hope of a loan to League One side Reading in the latter stages of the EFL window and that would have been the perfect move for all parties, but in the end the Royals were severely limited in the business they did as a proposed takeover dragged on longer than expected. Bennette will be entering the last 18 months of his contract and at something of a crossroads in his Sunderland career when the January window opens, with big decisions ahead for all parties.

Wednesday night's game also offered Nazariy Ruysn and Ian Poveda the chance to try and catch the eye of Le Bris. For Rusyn, it was very much a game of two halves. In the first he was a genuine threat running off the shoulder of the last defender as Sunderland broke at pace, forging three decent shooting opportunities for himself inside the box but just unable to produce the finish. In the second he struggled to impact the contest, isolated as the visitors improved the pace of their play and pushed Sunderland back. It was the introduction of the impressive Trey Ogunsuyi in place of Rusyn that was part of the catalyst for the hosts wrestling back some momentum in the game, with Watson eventually getting the equaliser. Strong, quick and with a good first touch, Ogunsuyi really is one to watch in the years ahead. Poveda was a threat in possession if a little guilty of holding onto the ball too long at times, though he did create one of those chances for Rusyn with a delightful through ball. Defensively he could have offered more to young Tom Lavery but it was a valuable 45 minutes in a high-intensity game as he builds his match fitness and looks to put some pressure on Patrick Roberts.In truth, the game will have done little to alter Le Bris' plans in the short term other than to underline just how close Watson is to breaking through as a genuine senior player.

Poveda will offer more as he settles and gets regular minutes and that there is a hugely gifted player there is obvious, but Bennette and Rusyn will both be considering their options going into January as competition for places in their preferred positions continues to grow.