The Sunderland star who has given Regis Le Bris a pleasant headache after Torreense display
Sunderland summer signing Jules Ahoka impressed in the Europa League on Thursday evening.
Jules Ahoka’s midweek trip to Portugal was a tale of two headaches; one likely sustained by the player himself as Nordi Mukiele’s cross cannoned flush off his face and into the bottom corner to drag Sunderland level against a plucky Torreense side, and the other inflicted on Regis Le Bris as the Congolese youth international staked his claim for a recurrent role in the head coach’s first team plans moving forward.
It is, frankly speaking, absurd that Ahoka is as inexperienced as he is. Prior to arriving on Wearside this summer, the midfielder had registered just four senior appearances for previous club Royal Antwerp, and prior to Thursday’s tetchy 2-1 win on the continent, he had only featured once in red and white - catching the eye with a promising showing in a fairly muted Carabao Cup victory over Hull City in September.
And yet, to watch him in Leiria was to witness a player vastly belying his relative greenness. From the outset, in the midst of a largely pedestrian team performance on a temperamental pitch, Ahoka stood out. He was sharper than those around him, more imposing and rangy, willing to mop up and drive on as Sunderland fumbled around for a measure of potency to compliment their de facto control against second division opposition. There was a tidiness to his work, and a composure that those around him would have been well-advised to take note of.
Indeed, it was telling that when Le Bris turned to his bench and introduced Granit Xhaka and Enzo Le Fée, Ahoka stayed on the pitch, moving into a more advanced role as the former slotted in behind him and the latter shuffled on out to the left wing.
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Not long after, Le Bris’ faith was rewarded. A constant nuisance in the Torreense box, Ahoka connected nose-first with a teasing delivery to usher Sunderland back to parity. Minutes later, and he might even have had a second, were it not for a rushed finish and a fine piece of goalkeeping.
But while his equaliser will, justifiably, draw attention, his display writ large was also an encouraging illustration of the 20-year-old’s best qualities. And Le Bris noticed too. Speaking after the final whistle in Portugal, the head coach said: "He's really young, and this game shows how much potential he has. He has the ability to be well-connected with the squad, the ability to understand tactical concepts, and to connect with his teammates.
“And he has this physicality, this impact in the box. Really huge potential. He has played against Hull, and in the training sessions with us and the game here, he is showing it is possible for him to step up to the team with us. It's true."
Which brings us back to that headache; a good headache, a pleasant one. Sunderland won’t rush things where Ahoka is concerned, and with the likes Xhaka, Le Fée, and Noah Sadiki ahead of him, the midfielder might have to be patient for a while to come. Keep taking opportunities in the manner that he did on Thursday, however, and he will become harder and harder to ignore. Either way, on the early evidence, it looks like the Black Cats have stumbled across another real find.
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