Régis Le Bris press conference: Sunderland injury update as Ta Bi, Traoré and Angulo near returns
Sunderland travel to Molineux to face Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday looking to finish the season strongly with their Premier League status already long secured.
With safety already confirmed, attention has shifted towards building momentum for next season, while Wolves have already been relegated and are playing for pride in the final weeks.
Régis Le Bris has had to deal with attacking absences in recent months, with several wide players sidelined at the same time, limiting his options in forward areas.
However, there are signs that situation is beginning to improve for Sunderland heading into the weekend’s fixture.
Attacking reinforcements close to return
Sunderland could soon welcome back multiple forwards, with Jocelin Ta Bi the closest to making a comeback after a lengthy spell out.
The youngster has not featured since sustaining an ankle injury on his full Premier League debut against Fulham earlier this year, initially expected to keep him out for the remainder of the campaign.
But his recovery has progressed quicker than anticipated, and he has returned to training with the squad this week.
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“We had this period with four wingers injured at the same time, but three of them should be available soon,” Le Bris said in his pre-match press conference.
“Probably Jocelin this weekend and we’ll make the decision for Berto and Nilson if they are available this weekend or the week after. They are on the edge and in a good place.”
Bertrand Traoré and Nilson Angulo are also closing in on returns after stepping up their rehabilitation work at the Academy of Light. While this weekend may come slightly too soon, next week’s home game against Manchester United is seen as a realistic target for both.
Le Bris also highlighted the importance of having natural wide players available again.
“They have the profile expected for this position and it’s important,” he added.
“Everyone watched the Champions League, for example. I think the forwards have this ability to change the game. Without them, we try to find other options, but it’s not easy.
“I hope they will help, but at the same time they didn’t play for a long period and so it’s hard to expect immediately a big improvement, but I think they will help because they have this ability to threaten 1v1 the opponent, to go behind, to cross, to combine in tight areas. If it’s quick [they reach their best], it’s better, but sometimes you have to wait.”
