Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey joined from Ajax on deadline day for a fee in the region of £20 million

Régis Le Bris says that Brian Brobbey will need time to adapt to the Premier League following his summer move from Ajax.

Brobbey made his third appearance for the Black Cats as they fell to a 2-0 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford just before the international break, playing around half an hour as a second-half substitute. All three of his appearances for the club have come away from home and off the bench, which go some way to explaining his relatively limited opportunities in front of goal.

Le Bris says Brobbey is moving from a different league but also from a very different playing style at Ajax, and that a period of adaptation is inevitable as a result.

"It's still a process to step up to this league," Le Bris said.

"He's still really young, he comes from a different club with a different style of play, probably with Ajax they were always dominant [on the ball] with a high block and so this is a totally different way of playing, and a totally different challenge. so he needs time and support. This challenge at Man Utd will have been useful for him, obviously we would have liked more from him and all of the players because the performance wasn't the best version of Sunderland, but the process is ongoing."

Brobbey signed for Sunderland on deadline day after Chelsea request the recall of Marc Guiu following an injury to Liam Delap. Speaking in September, sporting director Kristjaan Speakman explained that Brobbey's availability was a key part of that process and that while they believe he can make an impact this season, he's also seen as a big player for the future.

“It was a really unusual situation," Speakman said.

"Not one that I can think that I’ve come across personally in the transfer windows over recent years. We have to be really respectful to the parent club of the player that we take on loan because we want to make sure we’ve got healthy relationships. And also most importantly, to the player. Chelsea came to us with a suggestion, Marc as a player would want to go and play for his parent club and have the opportunity that he’s been working for, which is what ultimately he was coming here to try and earn in the future. That meant there was a position where it was on us to make a decision over what we wanted to do. We weren’t going to make a decision that put us in a detrimental position, but Brian is a player who we’ve been tracking all summer. There’s one or two other players that we’ve been tracking too, and always in the transfer window, it’s about timing. For us, the timing of being able to take Brian and the timing of our position with Chelsea and with Marc meant that we could agree to it. We’re really disappointed on one hand because we really liked Marc. But at the same time, we also really like Brian and we’re really pleased that Brian’s here because we think he’s a player for now and a player for the future."

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Brian Brobbey scores for Sunderland in behind-closed-doors friendly

A number of Sunderland players were given the opportunity to top up their match fitness in a behind-closed-doors friendly at the Academy of Light on Wednesday.

Sunderland ran out 2-0 winners against Scottish Premiership side Livingston in the game, with summer signing Brian Brobbey on the scoresheet. The team featured a mix of youngsters and players who have been short on match minutes so far this season but could still have a significant role to play in the weeks and months ahead.

Academy graduates and key figures in the club's promotion to the Premier League Dan Neil and Anthony Patterson played, as well as summer signing Lutsharel Geetruida as he pushes for a first start following some strong recent cameos from the bench. It was also a significant game for versatile defender Luke O'Nien, who got his first minutes under his belt since suffering a dislocated shoulder in the early stages of the play-off final win over Sheffield United at Wembley. O'Nien has been named on the bench for Sunderland's last two Premier League fixtures.

Sunderland XI v Livingston: Patterson, Jones (Jenson), O'Nien, Geertruida, Anderson, Jones (Harrison), Neil, Le Fée, Walsh, Brobbey, Abdullahi

Subs: Nna Noukeu, Kindon, Middlemas, Whittaker, Matete, Moore, Holcroft, Jones

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