Régis Le Bris issues Aaron Connolly fitness update and explains why he encouraged Sunderland to sign him
Aaron Connolly has joined Sunderland on a short-term deal until the end of the season
Régis Le Bris expects Aaron Connolly to be available for selection after the international break and says that the striker’s ‘very good condition’ was a key reason in their decision to hand him a one-year contract.
Connolly has joined his new team mates in training this week but Le Bris says he needs time to build his match fitness after a summer out of the game. Le Bris is confident that will not be a prolonged process, however, saying that his base fitness is very good and demonstrated to the club that the 24-year-old has learned a lot of lessons from earlier in his career.
The Irish international is unlikely to be available for the club’s next three fixtures but should be fit to play a big part in the busy schedule from late October to the January transfer window opening.
"It's difficult to say exactly when he will play,” Le Bris said.
“He's in good condition, which was very important to us before we signed him. It showed us that during his time out of the game he took very good care of his condition, and he had the possibility to think about his previous experiences and change something. This is the case because his condition is very good. But he has not trained with a team for three months and 11-v-11 is a very specific situation, very different to a 5-v-5 and the other fitness work. I'm confident [it won't be long], maybe after the next international break he could be available.”
Le Bris said Connolly’s all-round game made him an attractive option as a free agent, having passed up on a number of other strikers who could have been available both through the summer and after.
"I think he has quite a complete profile,” Le Bris said.
“He's a good finisher, he can run in behind and he can play short passes and join in the combination play. He can defend with the team, too. I think he has a well-rounded profile. His profile with his experiences is very interesting, too. I don't think it is good for everyone to have the same experiences, and he is very different from the others. I think that he will help the others to learn."