Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey is still finding his feet in England...

Former Premier League striker Benni McCarthy has backed Sunderland new boy Brian Brobbey to come good on Wearside, despite his relatively slow start to life at the Stadium of Light.

The Dutchman arrived in England during the latter stages of the summer transfer window, signing from boyhood club Ajax in a deal worth upwards of £21 million in total. Since then, however, head coach Regis Le Bris has used Brobbey frugally, with the centre forward still yet to make his full debut, and registering just 57 minutes of action across three Premier League cameos.

But in a recent press conference, Le Bris insisted that he is satisfied with the 23-year-old’s progress, and is “confident” that he can kick on over the coming weeks. He said: “The main point is whether he is in a better place day after day - he's getting better.

“He connected with the squad late, and it's not the the best situation because we built something during the pre-season, and when you you join the team later it's not so easy to connect with the squad. But he's a good guy.

“We feel during the training sessions that his level is is getting better. He played a different style of football with Ajax, so they were dominant. The level of the league was probably a bit different as well, or the style of play. So he's learning and he's really positive. I'm confident and I trust him. He can help the team. After that, it's a question of momentum. I think our strikers are doing well."

What has Benni McCarthy said about Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey?

And speaking to BestBettingSites.co.uk, former Blackburn Rovers hitman McCarthy - who scored 37 Premier League goals of his own during his playing career - admitted that he is inclined to agree with the Sunderland boss.

He said: “Listen, he [Brobbey] has done amazing to get this far. When he was at Ajax, the way Ajax played the system, their football was built around playing for the striker. So he got service, and now he's moved to the Premier League and Sunderland's done really well so far, so he’s going to have to be patient and wait for his opportunity.

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“The manager got them promoted, so I think first he has to adjust to life in the Premier League, and Sunderland is not a dominant team like Ajax was. His role will be a little bit different, a little bit more running in behind, adjusting his style to the Premier League. But he's got the qualities. He's young, he's strong, he's quick.

“When the moment comes - when his time comes - I think he'll make it work and, and he'll settle in nicely. He can make a decent career for himself in the Premier League, but he just needs to be patient. He needs to wait for his time and when the time comes, he's got to grab it with both hands.”

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