The midfielder was left on the bench against Sheffield Wednesday with Harrison Jones preferred

Former Sunderland captain and BBC pundit has reacted to head coach Régis Le Bris’ “interesting” Salis Abdul Samed decision against Sheffield Wednesday.

The head coach made five changes coming into the clash, with injured duo Dan Ballard and Enzo Le Fee replaced by Chris Mepham and Romaine Mundle. Chris Rigg was also rested for Alan Browne, while Leo Hjelde started instead of Dennis Cirkn, and Eliezer Mayenda got the nod up front ahead of Wilson Isidor.

Le Bris made four substitutions in the second half, with Cirkin, Rigg and Isidor all coming off the bench to help the Black Cats win 2-1 at Hillsborough Stadium in the Championship. Curiously, however, Le Bris opted to bring 20-year-old Harrison Jones onto the pitch ahead of Salis Abdul Samed and fellow summer signing Milan Aleksic.

“That was an interesting one, actually. You’ve got [Milan] Aleksic and [Salis Abdul] Samed on the bench who are certainly more experienced midfielders,” Collins said on Total Sport. “So for him to give Harrison [Jones] some more game time ahead of them shows that he’s got confidence in his ability. I’ve seen him with the under-18s and under-21s and he is a tidy player.

“He’s had one or two injuries in the last couple of years, but he’s been in and around the first-team squad for a long time this season. He played against Stoke in the cup, so it was good for him to get some game time in the league.”

What is the transfer situation regarding Harrison Jones at Sunderland?

The highly-rated player recently signed fresh terms with his boyhood club, with his stay on Wearside extended until 2026. Sunderland also stated that the deal includes a club option to keep the attacking midfielder for another year should they choose to trigger the clause.

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The Echo learned during the winter window that Jones’ camp was exploring the possibility of a loan move, with the midfielder open to a local move to Hartlepool United or Gateshead. However, the switch didn’t materialise, partly because neither club came in for the player and partly because the player is being used handily on Wearside.

While Jones’ camp and Sunderland are keen for the player to gain regular first-team minutes in a senior environment at some point, the player has been boosted by the level of involvement he is currently seeing under Régis Le Bris for the Black Cats’ senior team. Jones was handed his first start for his boyhood club against Stoke City in the FA Cup and has regularly taken a spot in Le Bris’ bench for league games, gaining his first Championship minutes against Wednesday last week.

Indeed, Sunderland’s head coach is thought to rate the player, who, in turn, is enjoying the experience of training with the first team and occupying a spot in the Black Cats’ match day squad. The situation, however, does remain fluid. Jones could still head out on loan to the National League before the 2024-25 season ends, should all parties agree.