The vicious circle facing Regis Le Bris after underwhelming display from Sunderland player vs Norwich City

They may have been playing Norwich City, but at times on Tuesday evening, it was Sunderland who looked more like canaries at Carrow Road - namely ones lying talons up on the floor of a cage in a coalmine.

Regis Le Bris rang the changes in Norfolk, but for the first 45 minutes especially, his side barely mustered a tweet as the hosts overawed them, crashing down on their heads in shades of yellow and green like a falling stack of tinned sweetcorn in a supermarket aisle.

Of course, to an extent, the luxury of experimentation is one that Le Bris and his side have earned for themselves this season. Even in spite of their sluggish start, the Black Cats were able to emerge from their midweek sojourn with a point that guarantees them a place in the play-offs next month, and as such, what does it really matter if Chris Rigg is deployed in a deeper midfield role, or if Wilson Isidor is benched to allow Eliezer Mayenda another crack at leading the line on his own? It is only through trial and occasional error that Le Bris can hope to fully establish the options available to him, and it is far better to be shuffling his deck now than in the midst of a play-off campaign.

With that in mind, however, one ploy he may be wary of repeating again in the near future is posting Milan Aleksic out on the right wing. The Serbian, still only 19, registered just his sixth Championship appearance of the season on Tuesday, and in truth, struggled to positively impact the contest prior to his withdrawal for Patrick Roberts in the 77th minute. Across a largely frustrating display, Aleksic recorded a pass completion rate of 56%, completed no successful dribbles, and won just a quarter of his contested duels.

Now, before we go any further, it is worth emphasising that this is not some kind of hit piece on a promising player who is evidently in possession of an immense amount of talent and potential. There are, after all, caveats to the midfielder’s showing against Norwich. For one thing, he was playing out of position. For another, given how scarce first team opportunities have been for him this term, it is entirely understandable that Aleksic might have found himself creaking with ring rust. Then, of course, there is the fact that he is still grappling with the unique challenges of moving to a new country at such a young age and making a significant step up to the cut and thrust of Championship football.

But even taking all of that into account, it is becoming increasingly obvious that Le Bris and his backroom staff are battling something of a vicious circle when it comes to Aleksic’s development. Frequently, we have heard shouts from eager Sunderland supporters who are keen for the starlet to be blooded more readily in the first team. Even Le Bris himself has admitted that the player is not wholly satisfied with his lot on Wearside at the present moment in time. Speaking in a press conference late last month, the head coach said: “He [Aleksic] struggled for probably the last couple of months because he didn't have many opportunities to play, he was a little bit disconnected at that moment and I think it's a normal dynamic for a young player.”

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The natural thing to do, then, in an attempt to remedy this apparent “disconnection”, and to further Aleksic’s personal progress, is to give him more minutes - but the rub is that if he consistently produces underwhelming performances like the one he put in at Carrow Road, his inclusion may ultimately prove to be detrimental to both the team and himself.

Perhaps, then, patience is the key. There needs to be an understanding - from supporters, from Le Bris, and especially from the player - that Aleksic is a prospect for the future, and one who may be used sparingly for the foreseeable as a consequence. Evidently, he boasts the raw footballing ability to be a real success on Wearside, but coaxing it out of him and then honing him into a reliable presence is likely to take time.

As such, the trick is striking a balance that allows Aleksic the space and leeway to grow while also keeping him close enough to the senior side so that he doesn’t drift involuntarily towards frustration and apathy. If Le Bris can find a way of doing so, then he could still reap huge benefits - even in spite of Tuesday’s disappointment.

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