The Sunderland head coach will be forced into a defensive reshuffle this weekend

Régis Le Bris says that Lutsharel Geertruida's uncertain long-term future at Sunderland will have no impact on his team selection for the final three games of the season.

Le Bris will be forced into a defensive reshuffle this weekend and beyond after Dan Ballard's appeal against a red card for violent conduct was rejected by the FA. He will miss the final three games as a result and Le Bris therefore has to decide whether to move Nordi Mukiele infield and select a new right back, or potentially recall club stalwart Luke O'Nien.

Geertruida has struggled for minutes since starting in the Tyne-Wear derby win back in March, leading to some doubt as to whether the club would trigger their option to sign him for a reported £17 million from RB Leipzig this summer.

Le Bris says he will not favour players whose long-term future is more secure, and that there were no clauses in the loan deal that could potentially influence his decisions over the coming weeks.

"The main idea is that we want to win this game so it's a short-term vision [with selection], this is really clear," he said.

"If it's a 50-50, maybe 1% will influence the decision but in this case I don't think it would be the idea. Lutsha is a player of Sunderland and we'll see at the end of the season if we go further or not. He's 100% with us [at this point].

"It's an opportunity [for him] of course because we have different options this season," Le Bris added.

"He's versatile, a bit like Trai, so it's really useful for the manager, for the coaching staff, for the team because when we need someone ready to play as a midfielder, left-side centre-back, right-back, he can manage different positions and he did well. At the same time, the competition in a specific position is often high, so for him, it's a big advantage on one side and probably sometimes a bit difficult to manage because you don't play every game, but he's so useful for the squad, so he will be an option for us."

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RLB issues update on Geertruida’s long-term future at Sunderland

Le Bris confirmed that no decision had been taken on Geertruida's future at this stage, and that all possibilities were still on the table.

As with Bertrand Traoré, whose contract expires this summer but with whom the club have the option to extend for a further campaign, talks are set to be held at the end of the campaign to reach a decision.

"We all have to be aligned otherwise we can't move forward," Le Bris said.

"So the conversation is always open between Flo, the player, and the agent and I'm in the loop as well because I make the choice every weekend.

"And for the future, we have many conversations with Flo about how we want to build the squad and what could be the opportunities in the market as well. So it's dynamic and I think the most important thing is to be honest and clear with the player."