'Miles better...': Mike Dodds names the player working his way back into contention at Sunderland

Mike Dodds says that Adil Aouchiche has moved much closer to contention for the starting XI after seeing a significant improvement in the attacking midfielder's 'concentration and focus' behind the scenes.

Aouchiche, who arrived last summer with significant Ligue 1 experience, has played very little football since the festive period and was criticised by former head coach Michael Beale for his role in Ipswich Town's winning goal in January.

Dodds says that he had a long chat with Aouchiche recently and believes he is seeing the response he was hoping for: "I had a conversation with Adil this week and I feel like we've got him in a spot where he's got a level of concentration and focus that's really important for a head coach if you're going to pick a player. I think we've got him in a good spot right now and so I don't think he's a million miles away from the team.

"My dilemma when I'm selecting a team is [assessing] Adil's assets and qualities and whether they're positively or negatively counteracting the opposition. So it's about finding the right opportunity where we can best use Adil and the qualities he has. It's interesting you bring him up because we've had quite a long conversation with him in terms of where he's at with his concentration and focus, which has been miles better. So yeah, as a result of that he isn't a million miles away from our thought processes."

Dodds is set to make a couple of changes for Leicester City's visit to the Stadium of Light on Tuesday night.