Michael Bridges claims Sunderland staff believe Black Cat is 'streets ahead' of his teammates
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Former Sunderland striker Michael Bridges has given an insight into how well January signing Enzo Le Fée has settled into life on Wearside, claiming that members of staff inside the club believe he is “streets ahead” of his teammates.
The Frenchman put in a stunning display against Middlesbrough on Monday evening, assisting one goal and forcing an error from opposing defender Ryan Giles that led to a decisive own goal in the closing stages of a 3-2 victory for Regis Le Bris’ men. And speaking before the contest during Sky Sports’ coverage from the Riverside, Bridges was quick to share the positive impression that Le Fée has made on the Black Cats’ camp. He said: “I've been speaking to the staff at the football club - they've been suitably impressed and he’s only been here a short time.
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Hide Ad“They're basically saying it looks like he's streets ahead of the other players and on a different wavelength. Amad was mentioned, he was at Sunderland a few years ago, now at Man United. He said he just had something special, and that's what he [Le Fée] has brought.”
Bridges then hailed Le Fée again after the full-time whistle, adding: “We talked about him before the game, like I said, a lot of the staff and the players were so excited about what he had shown in his training sessions, and I think we witnessed tonight what he is capable of doing. He’s won the man of the match award, on his birthday, and there’s a lot more to come.
“Regis Le Bris, once again, has signed an absolute diamond there for Sunderland. It’s players like that that excite me. When they get the ball, all eyes are on them. You get excited, they get you off your seat. I was a big fan of Chris Waddle back in the day, he excited me, and this lad tonight, wow.”
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Hide AdThe ex-Black Cats marksman was not the only one impressed by Le Fée’s contribution, either. Speaking after the match, captain Dan Neil said: “I think tonight was his best game since he's been here. I thought some of his touches were class. You can tell that he's played at a really good level tonight. Sometimes when we were kind of under pressure a little bit and we found him, he managed to go past his full-back, get up the pitch a little bit. He's linked up play with Dennis and Jobe in that left triangle. It was really good tonight.
“You can see him growing each time. It's difficult. I always say English football is completely different to any other football in the world, whether it's Premier League or Championship. So it was always going to take a few weeks for him to get up to speed with it. But I think tonight you're seeing probably his best performance so far.”
Your next Sunderland read: Chris Rigg's anti-Newcastle United flag, Wilson Isidor's message to Mike Dodds, Enzo Le Fee injury worry
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