Regis Le Bris could hand out rare Sunderland start vs Crystal Palace to player who’s been ‘a gift’
Sunderland will be aiming to continue their emphatic start to the Premier League season against Crystal Palace.
Regis Le Bris side snatched a late win against Brentford before the international break to make it two wins from three.
Indeed, their start has been so good that Le Bris was nominated for the Premier League Manager of the Month award.
While he will likely name a largely unchanged side, there is one player who is surely deserving of a rare start.
Regis Le Bris heaped praise on Wilson Isidor in the Championship
Isidor bagged a late goal against West Ham before netting an even more important one against the Bees.
There was a time last season when the forward was undroppable, and it seemed that the Black Cats had their very own Thierry Henry.
Indeed, against Hull City, he scored a phenomenal solo goal when he ran almost the entirety of the pitch before dinking over Ivor Pandur.
“It is a gift,” Le Bris said of Isidor’s form in October last year, via Sports Illustrated.
“For a coach and the team, for sure. I am not surprised really because I was very confident when we signed him that he was able to play like that.
“We don’t know before how he will be integrated into the team, the link he will create with the others. He played in another league in another country and didn’t know England before.
“But his link in the dressing room was immediately great and it was clear that he could create a good relationship with everybody in the dressing room.
“He has many qualities, he wants to learn, he is very connected with the team, and the finishes are good.”
- Isidor notched 13 goals across the Championship and the play-offs
- He finished the season with an xG of 15
- The forward had a goal conversion rate of 13%
While he is not necessarily a recognised number nine, his composure and finishing were a difference maker on so many occasions.
Despite losing the game, his forward play against Leeds United’s Ethan Ampadu highlighted exactly how lethal he can be.
However, the former Zenit St Petersburg man endured a rotten run of form after signing permanently and only managed one goal in his last 15 Championship appearances.
Read more: What Wilson Isidor said after scoring 96th minute winner vs Brentford
Wilson Isidor has shown Premier League class for Sunderland
Understandably, Isidor started the season on the bench for the Wearsiders, but that should now change.
Le Bris rightly handed Eliezer Mayenda a starting berth, and he did deliver a fine headed goal against West Ham.
However, he has not looked as commanding of late and could maybe benefit from a run of games out wide.
From the bench, Isidor has been prolific and has already shown the finesse from the first half of the Championship season.
Yes, maybe he is more impactful from the bench, but his numbers from the opening three league games are scarily good.
- Isidor has two goals despite an xG of 0.28
- He averages a goal every 33 minutes
- His goal conversion rate in the league is 50 per cent
Sunderland will undergo their sternest test of the campaign so far against Palace and will have to take their chances.
Indeed, Le Bris’ men will likely be starved of possession, meaning they need the right personnel to pounce on the counterattack.
In that case, it must be Isidor who is afforded a chance, as he has the pace and finishing ability to hurt Oliver Glasner’s side.
Sunderland may need a gift to bring down the Eagles, and in Isidor, they already have one.
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