Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has been speaking about his midfield options.

A Regis Le Bris press conference is never an unpleasant experience. The Sunderland head coach is, without exception, affable and articulate, and for the 20 minutes or so that he addresses the media at the Academy of Light every week, he exudes an easy sense of calm that makes it quite obvious as to why he is such a natural and effective conveyor of footballing philosophies.

But even by his own genial standards, he seems openly enthused on Monday afternoon when asked to speak about his midfield trio of Granit Xhaka, Noah Sadiki, and Habib Diarra.

In truth, it is a cohort that, up until now, has existed in something of a liminal space. On the one hand, the first few games of the season, coupled with the fairly vast investment made to bring them to the club, have led many to believe that it is very probably the Black Cats’ strongest combination in the centre of the park. On the other, Diarra’s untimely injury back in September, alongside the inescapable impact of the African Cup of Nations, means that Le Bris has rarely been able to call upon all three players at the same time in recent months.

Indeed, Saturday lunchtime’s 1-1 draw with Bournemouth marked just the fifth occasion that Xhaka, Sadiki, and Diarra have simultaneously been named in the starting XI since all three arrived on Wearside during the summer transfer window. Even then, with the trio fit and available at the weekend, it wasn’t entirely a given that Le Bris would default to the midfield three with which he began the campaign.

And that, in large part, is because of Enzo Le Fée. By now, we are all acutely familiar with the Frenchman’s progression in red and white - from makeshift and magical Championship winger to wily and wandering Premier League wide(ish) man, and then, in Diarra’s absence, to an indefatigable, lusciously creative central presence much more in keeping with the kind of player we all thought Sunderland were signing in the first place.

So good, in fact, has Le Fée been of late, that there were genuine questions posed as to how Diarra - the Black Cats’ club record signing, we should remember - would prise his way back into Le Bris’ thinking.

On Saturday, we got our answer. Sunderland went back to the triad that served them so well during the giddy opening exchanges of the season; Xhaka sitting, scheming, dictating with majesty; Sadiki, buzzing ably around him, quelling danger; Diarra, striding forward whenever and wherever possible, looking to break defensive lines and providing support to his centre-forward. And then, posted out on the left with a licence to drift in-field as he saw fit, Le Fée - the fourth man in a three-man midfield, the wispy nuisance floating menacingly on the periphery of Bournemouth’s concerns.

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And it would appear that for all of his stellar work through the middle, this may well be where Le Bris sees the 26-year-old operating more often than not moving forward. After all, it feels quite telling that on Monday, when quizzed about what makes Xhaka, Sadiki, and Diarra work so well as a unit, it was his trusted compatriot who the head coach mentioned first.

“And connected with Enzo as a left winger with the ability to connect with them inside”, he responded. “I think those four players are designed to play together and it was the plan at the beginning of the season. We didn't experience it so many times because of the injury to Habib - now he's back.

“So we have probably a better competition, but a better set-up as well depending on the context, the pathway of the squad and the future we'll have to face. [I’m] So pleased about the intensity, the connection they created, and looking forward to seeing more from them.”

Maybe, then, this was the blueprint all along, and one that has only remained hidden from us because of circumstance. What we have perhaps assumed at times were looming headaches, or square pegs jostling to avoid round holes, might actually have been Le Bris’ vision from the outset. If nothing else, he seems delighted to finally be able to give it a try.

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