Sunderland are stepping up their preparations ahead of a number of players leaving for the Africa Cup of Nations next month

Régis Le Bris is hoping that Simon Adingra will benefit from a rare international break spent working on Wearside.

Adingra has been a regular in the Ivory Coast squad for a long period of time, but was not involved during their last two friendlies. It’s an intriguing development with the Africa Cup of Nations just a month away, with the 23-year-old expected to be part of the squad for that tournament.

While Le Bris said the player would clearly be disappointed not to be involved with his international team, it gave him the opportunity to build on a promising cameo against Arsenal just before the international break. That had been his first football for Sunderland since being withdrawn in the first half of the 2-0 defeat to Manchester United.

“We didn't speak directly with his [national team] manager, but he decided to keep him in his club,” Le Bris said.

“At one point, it was positive for us because we still had to work with Simon. He did well when he came on against Arsenal. I think it was important for him after a long period. So, [it shows] he's still connected [with us]. He still has to work. He's a really young player, once again even if he had a good experience with Brighton. So, for us, it's still better to keep the player and work with them. For them, [we understand] they like being connected with the national team.”

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RLB issues update on Sunderland’s AFCON preparations

Le Bris confirmed that director of football Florent Ghisolfi is working with the relevant national sides to establish when Sunderland’s players will depart for the tournament. There are no specific dates by which Sunderland have to release their players as the tournament falls outside the designated FIFA windows, but the club are mindful of how much the competition means to their players. It’s expected at the moment that they will depart after the clash with Newcastle United, with Le Bris saying Ghisolfi’s talks were so far going well.

While Sunderland will be one of the teams most heavily impacted by the tournament, Le Bris is confident he has the depth to manage and particularly with Dennis Cirkin, Leo Hjelde and Romaine Mundle close to a comeback.

“We are working step by step, after every game we have some different variations in our dynamic. Now we have good news with Dennis, Romaine and Leo. Luke has been on the bench, Dan too. We have the depth to manage this period and these players will have their opportunities.

“They haven't played in the Premier League before but we are confident. They know the system and are really well connected, so for me I am confident.”

Le Bris also said it was too early to tell if Habib Diarra would be able to represent Senegal at the tournament, and by extension Newcastle United for Sunderland just before. Diarra has previously confirmed he is hoping to return for that game.

“For Habib and for our players in general, it's really important to take care of his health,” Le Bris said.

“His rehab is in progress and we are in a good place but we don't want to rush the process because we need him in his best shape in the second half of the season. If it's too early [for AFCON] and we could damage his health we won't take risks.”

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