Sunderland striker Trey Ogunsuyi has been named in the last two matchday squads

Regis Le Bris believes Sunderland have an exciting prospect in Trey Ogunsuyi but has warned that the youngster still needs time before he is ready for first-time minutes.

The Belgian youth international has long been considered one of the best prospects in the club's academy and has been rewarded for his consistent performances over the last year or so with a place on the bench in Sunderland's last two matchday squads. Le Bris says exposure to the senior environment marks an important stage of the 17-year-old's development.

While he believes Ogunsuyi could be a big player for the club in the long run, he also made clear that he still needs time and space to develop before being consider a first-team contender.

"It was a great opportunity for him," Le Bris said.

"At the minute, he is still a young player who needs to discover more about our environment and the experience of being with professional players. Especially for an away game, it was a very interesting opportunity for him [to experience that]. He needs time to develop, for sure. But he has many qualities and he is a very interesting player for the future."

Sunderland are moving to further strengthen their forward line with a deal for free agent striker Aaron Connolly now believed to be close. Ahmed Abdullahi is expected to be fit around the festive period to provide further competition around the festive period.

Luis Hemir's loan move to Juve Next Gen means that Ogunsuyi is likely to be the U21s leading striker this season but as with all talented prospects, is likely to train with the first-team group on occasions.