Régis Le Bris explains Eliezer Mayenda sub in Sunderland draw and picks out key positive from second half

Régis Le Bris has explained his decision to withdraw Eliezer Mayenda midway through Sunderland's draw with Preston North End.

Mayenda has been in excellent form for the Black Cats of late, and kept his place in the starting XI despite the return of Wilson Isidor on Tuesday night. While the decision to bring on Chris Rigg and play with a three-man midfield early in the second half was no surprise given the lack of control Sunderland had on the game, the decision to withdraw Mayenda did raise eyebrows.

Le Bris said it was mainly due to Mayenda's recent workload, and that Isidor would bring some extra energy after his recent rest from the starting XI.

"Eli has played many minutes the last couple of weeks so it was my choice," Le Bris said.

"Our balance wasn't good at that moment so it was important to play with three midfielders. I had to make a choice and my choice at that moment was Wilson was a bit more fresh with a bit of extra energy.The balance of the team was better after that so it was a good choice. After that it's a question of feeling and confidence, so it was my choice [to stay with Wilson]."

Régis Le Bris picks out two big Sunderland positives in second half of frustrating Preston draw

Le Bris was encouraged by Rigg's performance, with the young midfielder showing signs of recapturing his best form after a brief spell out of the starting XI. Romaine Mundle's goal also suggested that he is edging towards full match sharpness after a long spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.

"I think the core of the group has been really small this season, and some players have played a lot of minutes," Le Bris said.

"It's normal that sometimes that they need a little bit of time to recover and I think Riggy is a good example. He did really well after a few games to recover. We still have nine games to play so it's important that we have to manage the whole squad.

"Romaine scored a brilliant goal. When you have been injured for a long time like Romaine and Tommy, you need minutes to recover the right level. It shows that it just doesn't come like that [clicks fingers]. You have to support them on their return because it is not easy to get back to that level where you are dominant. They need support and time to get their very best level."

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