Sunderland overcame a number of injury issues to beat Leeds United on Tuesday night

Régis Le Bris praised Melker Ellborg for his Sunderland debut and for how quickly he has settled at the club since his January arrival.

Ellborg, who cost Sunderland a fee in the region of £3 million when they signed him from Swedish club Malmo, was thrust into action at Elland Road after Robin Roefs was ruled out due to a hamstring injury. The 22-year-old was protected well by his defensive in an impressive rearguard display, but also impressed with his calm and efficient work at set pieces. Le Bris said he had no concerns over playing Ellborg having been impressed with his work behind the scenes in recent times.

"Melker did really well," Le Bris said.

“First game with us, it was a quick decision because Robin got this injury, shouldn't be too serious which is good news but we still need a back-up and Melker from day one showed that he wanted to learn, he wanted to connect with the players and the squad and this opportunity shows that he was ready. We are lucky because it's not easy to recruit a good goalkeeper - now we have two which is good news for Sunderland. It's more about, I think we want to target potential and a good mindset. Experience can be useful but when you have a good potential and a good mindset, then you can do well. He was just happy to play, which is more or less the mentality of the squad. We are a young team, he's young, he's ready to play, he feels the support and he did really well."

The Echo has launched a new WhatsApp SAFC Channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates direct to your phone. Simply click this link to join our SAFC WhatsApp channel.

Régis Le Bris reflects as Sunderland reach 40-point mark

Habib Diarra's second-half penalty sealed a memorable 1-0 win for Sunderland, who were missing a significant number of players due to injury.

The three points takes them to the fabled 40 mark, all but assuring their Premier League status for next season and with nine games still to play. Le Bris said it was a proud moment for everyone at the club but that they had to keep pushing to ensure they are not dragged into late trouble and to try and build on a strong start to their FA Cup campaign.

Asked what his next target would be, Le Bris said: "43! Yeah, I think we go step by step, this target was really important. We don't know yet if it will be enough because the season can be crazy and still possible because the race will be intense. But we still have nine games to play and if we keep the same mindset then we can have other targets a bit higher, we'll see.

“I am proud. It's not only me, because it's teamwork. For example, this game, we had to work a lot about our defensive set-up against a 3-4-3. We didn't work on the pitch, but we worked hard with the coaching staff. We were ready, so it means a lot about the togetherness of the club in general. Yes, it's positive, but we can't stop. It's always the next game, we'll have the FA Cup. And then after that, we'll have a Brighton at home. We want to win, so we can't stop, but we can appreciate this moment."

Port Vale were confirmed as Sunderland's fifth round opponents after they beat Bristol City in extra time on Tuesday night. The game will take place at Port Vale this Sunday and will kick off at 1.30pm.

Your next Sunderland read: Phil Smith's Sunderland AFC player ratings v Leeds United as 'immense' pair land 9s