Sunderland boss gives interesting response to Adil Aouchiche January transfer question after Stoke City call

Régis Le Bris has hinted that Adil Aouchiche could yet have a long-term future at Sunderland after the midfielder made his first league start of the campaign at Stoke City.

Aouchiche came close to leaving the club in the summer after it became clear that he did not feature in Le Bris's plans for the campaign ahead. But the 22-year-old has worked hard behind the scenes since and impressed in an unusual left-wing role opened up by serious injuries to Romaine Mundle and Tommy Watson.

He was rewarded with a place in the starting XI for the trip to Stoke City and his performance was one of the key positives for the Black Cats on an otherwise hugely frustrating afternoon, with the attacking midfielder close to producing an assist when Eliezer Mayenda missed a close-range header midway through the second half.

Le Bris said afterwards that it was too early to decide what would happen in the January window, and it may yet be the case that new additions and Mundle's return to fitness mean he leaves in search of greater game time. But his praise for Aouchiche suggested he could still have a part to play.

"Milan [Aleksic] and Adil deserved to play this game because they have been connected in the training sessions and this was their opportunity today," Le Bris said.

"It is good to have them and their mindset is positive. They were ready to play and I think that they showed many things, many positive things. It's another experience for them and it's good for us as a team to have them.

"With Adil, I think it is too early to say what will happen in January. A season is full of many experiences. You can start with an idea but with the evolution of the season, you can change your assessment of the situation. It is probably too early to decide and we'll see how we can build this second half of the season."

Le Bris has previously said that Sunderland will be focusing on a small number of quality additions in the January window, but that the final third will be their focus.