Phil Bardsley has been speaking about Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris...

Former Sunderland defender Phil Bardsley has suggested that the club are likely to face interest in head coach Regis Le Bris following his stellar work as Black Cats boss over the past two seasons.

Having guided Sunderland to a long-awaited promotion back to the Premier League last summer, Le Bris exceeded all expectations by securing a seventh-placed finish and Europa League qualification for the Black Cats at the end of his first campaign in the top flight.

And based on his output on Wearside so far, Bardsley is fully expecting the Frenchman to attract attention from elsewhere sooner rather than later.

Speaking to Lyllo Casino, he said: “Regis Le Bris is going to have interest, there's no doubt about it. I think regardless of what happens with Sunderland this year, his stock's risen so much. He looks a calm, composed figure, but his football knowledge, tactical awareness in games, and the way he sets his teams up is brilliant.

“He's utilising players that are probably out of position. I mean, Trai Hume's a right-back playing right of a diamond in midfield, right-wing, left-back. He's utilising these players, built them up, and improved them so much that it's only a matter of time.”

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Bardsley added: “But listen, he's at a massive club in Sunderland. They're doing amazing, they're in Europe. So hopefully they can keep hold of him, but there's certainly going to be interest, that's any walk of life, if you do a great job somewhere, someone is always looking to take you. Hopefully that's not the case, but hopefully he can stay.”

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