Regis Le Bris names the Sunderland player he expects to play a part this season despite limited game time
Sunderland face Derby County at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday night.
Regis Le Bris says he has been impressed with Leo Hjelde since his arrival at the club and believes there will be chances for him to play this season.
The Sunderland defender has been a regular in the matchday squad this season but is yet to play a league minute. Hjelde impressed in pre-season after moving into his more natural position in the centre of defence, but fierce competition for places means he has not yet had an opportunity.
That is unlikely to change this week with Chris Mepham establishing himself alongside Luke O'Nien in defence but Le Bris has offered Hjelde encouragement that he trusts him when the opportunity comes up. Le Bris has had a very settled side so far this season and says working closely with those not heavily involved is a vital task for him and his coaching staff.
"He's very close to the team and he will have opportunities for sure," Le Bris said.
"He's a good player, he has a good mentality, he is still very connected with the team. We need this kind of player. They are not really involved at the minute but they are very close to the team and I'm sure he will have an opportunity to play.
"It's important to talk and take care of every player," he added.
"The core, who are very involved, it's easy for them because we have a lot of feedback and meetings, so it's very easy to connect with them. With the others, as a coach and as technical staff we need to take care of them, because we don't have this information about the game but we can still speak with them about their improvement, the project and so on."
Hjelde will be important cover in Sunderland's back-to-back home fixtures this week, with Dan Ballard expected to miss both due to the ankle problem he picked up at Plymouth Argyle. Ballard was fit to come off the bench against Middlesbrough a week later but missed the defeat to Watford.