Sunderland are back in action on Sunday afternoon when they face Port Vale in the fifth round of the FA Cup

Régis Le Bris says he was not surprised by Melker Ellborg's excellent full debut for Sunderland, having been hugely impressed with the youngster behind the scenes since his January arrival from Swedish side Malmo.

A hamstring injury sustained by Robin Roefs in the 1-1 draw with Bournemouth handed the 22-year-old with an unexpectedly swift opportunity to make his debut for the club, having joined for a fee in the region of £3 million to pave the way for Anthony Patterson to join Millwall on loan. With Roefs expected to miss another week as he recovers from injury, Ellborg will be handed another chance to impress at Port Vale as Sunderland bid to try and book a place in the FA Cup quarter finals on Sunday afternoon.

Elland Road provided a stern test for the youngster but Le Bris said he was confident Ellborg could deliver given what he has seen over the last six weeks or so.

"Yes, he did well," Le Bris said.

"I wasn't surprised, to be fair. He matched my expectations. Sometimes you can be surprised in one way or the other way, but here it matched exactly what I expected from him. So I'm happy for that because it's not automatic, you have to do it. He was very well connected with the lads. Obviously, it was a bit difficult to build up under pressure at Leeds because of the opponent, but also because of his culture and his knowledge with the squad. You can't create something just after one game. You need experiences, but he has a really good potential.

"In the training sessions, we felt early that he's a good goalkeeper," he added.

"And he wanted to connect with the lads, with the style, with the identity of the club. And he's a really good goalkeeper. For example, on finishing drills he's excellent. So I wasn't surprised about his personality on the pitch. I'm happy because he was consistent. Sometimes you can have an idea from training sessions, but during the competition it's totally different and he was very consistent."

Ellborg's attitude has impressed since his arrival, with Le Bris confident during the club's extensive background checks that he would fit with the club's culture.

"When we analyse them we try to identify their behaviours, especially through tough moments," Le Bris said.

"You can highlight the behaviours when it's tough.

When they are good, they find their flow, it's always easier to be positive, especially. But when you concede a goal for a goalkeeper, how do you react after? I think it's still interesting to spot that part of the game. After that, during the training sessions, he showed consistency and really good energy. He's really positive. It's contagious. The opposite can be contagious as well. When a player doesn't like training, doesn't like to be subbed, negative vibes are easy to feel as well. It's exactly the opposite for Melker. I'm sure it's more about his personality rather than just the role he's playing. So far, it went really well."

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What Melker Ellborg said after his Sunderland debut at Leeds United

“It's been a crazy kind of few months for me,” Ellborg said.

“It was not too many years ago I was playing in the lower divisions in Sweden, so it's been a big journey. Playing in a Premier League game tonight was incredible. For sure [always been my ambition]. It's the biggest league in the world and I have been watching it since I was a kid, so 100% this was a big dream. It is strange. It’s been an intense few weeks and I haven't really been able to take everything in but the way the team has welcomed me to this place has been incredible.

“So it hasn't been feeling too strange, it feels like a family I've come into and that has helped me a lot for sure. It's a dream coming true, so of course I was nervous for sure, but it's just football and I've done that for 22 years. So it's just about doing what you always do and then just try to keep it simple. To leave with a clean sheet is a dream.”

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