I watched Sunderland in preseason and never expecting them to be so excellent.

Gus Poyet has been impressed by Regis Le Bris’ Black Cats.

Former Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has praised incoming head coach Regis Le Bris for his “intelligent” approach and “good brand of football”.

The Black Cats have had a strong start to their Championship campaign, winning five of their first six matches. They are presently second in the standings and have preserved four clean sheets, including a shutout against Middlesbrough last weekend.

Poyet has confessed that his reservations in pre-season may have been misguided, as he is now thoroughly satisfied with the club’s development under Le Bris.

“Fast forward to where we are today, and it has been an excellent start to the season. I really enjoy Sunderland’s style of play; the coach is doing an excellent job; he is young and knowledgeable, and the club is playing a terrific brand of football. So far, the victories have been terrific, and they are scoring goals while also looking strong defensively.

Next up for Le Bris’ team is a trip to Watford on Saturday afternoon before their first midweek Championship match of the season against Derby County at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday.

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