Régis Le Bris delivers measured verdict on Sunderland defeat and answers squad depth question

Régis Le Bris defended his Sunderland players after their defeat to Preston North End on Tuesday night, insisting that it was a valuable experience in their development and that there were positives to take from the performance.

Le Bris changed all eleven players for the tie, with just two players over the age of 22 named in the team. The Black Cats started well but eventually fell to a 2-0 defeat to a Preston side who changed just three players from the opening day of the campaign.

Though Sunderland started brightly and should have taken the lead when Abdoullah Ba headed wide, they faded and the hosts were ultimately good value for the win.

"It was a new starting XI really, their third game together after Eldense and Bradford, so it was tough game because Preston were close to their strongest team on the pitch," Le Bris said.

"It was a good test and I think this team has improved a lot from its previous games together. We had a good chance to score in the first half, we defended well and pressed high. The lack of experience and ability of our opponent to be strong from set pieces... it's a new step for our players.

"For us, it's not good to be out of the cup but we want to improve these players, create opportunities to develop them. This was a great occasion for that. The experience was very good for them. It's never easy because they do not play together much."

While the defeat raises obvious questions about the depth of the squad, Le Bris insisted that some of the players on show can be a key part of his plans.

"There are three or four players from this team who when they play with our strongest players as well, it will be different - the references and the experience will be better," he said.

"It was the worst conditions I think for them today but in the end, they never gave up and worked until the end. They created many things until the end, so for me it's a good step for their improvement. There was a big improvement [from Bradford] and it is proof that you need time to grow, you need experiences of this kind to develop and improve. It's a long and tough process. Today is a low because we lost but in the end they have learned a lot."