REGIS Le Bris had an hour-long candid talk with Aaron Connolly in his office at Sunderland’s training field before concluding that signing the striker was the right move.

Le Bris had thoroughly examined film of Connolly in action, but he wanted to get to know the player before approving the trade.

And he was taken by Connolly’s honesty and determination during his first meeting with the striker, swiftly concluding that the 24-year-old was “ready” to seize his Sunderland moment.

Connolly broke onto the Premier League scene as a promising teenager at Brighton, but failed to get going and became a free agent following a run of disappointing appearances at other teams.

Despite his struggles in recent years, Connolly possesses the skill that has earned him nine Republic of Ireland appearances and troubled top-flight defenders. Le Bris never questioned Connolly’s potential, but he wanted to see for himself whether the striker had the will to get back on track.

“I had many profiles during the transfer window and so I watched many games from him before,” stated the Sunderland manager.

“Then, while he was available, I watched other games.” Technically, I knew him previously, but based on his profile and the others’, we wanted to know what his route and relationship to this project were, as well as his readiness to return to a high level of play.

“So it was the connection with our team, club and energy and I just had a one hour conversation with him and at the end it was clear that he was ready.”

Le Bris did not hesitate to ask Connolly uncomfortable questions during their encounter, and he appreciated the honesty in return.

“He was very clear,” he adds.

“They were not horrible subjects, and everything was on the table. It was obvious to me that he had learned from these experiences. If you wish to avoid a topic…but he covered every topic. “It was interesting.”

Connolly has had ups and downs in his career, both on and off the game, and Le Bris feels the striker has matured.

“I think so, but we need to experience it,” he told me.

“We will see. At the moment, I believe such is the case, but the reality resides in his actions and our experience. “We’ll see in the coming weeks and months.”

When asked if this may be Connolly’s final shot at a top club, Le Bris said, “I don’t know, we’ll see. “The experience must be lived.

Connolly will not play for Watford today, as Le Bris wants the striker to have a couple of weeks of training under his belt before making his new signing available after the international break.

Although he does not want to hurry Connolly into action, Le Bris has been pleasantly delighted by the striker’s health – something he wanted to see for himself.

He said, “Yes, totally. That was one of our main points. He appeared overweight, but today he’s incredibly fit.”

Connolly, who failed to reach his full potential as a youth, will be able to apply his experiences to coach Sunderland’s future stars.

According to Le Bris: “Everyone reacts differently and now for Riggy, Jobe, we need to take care of them, to create a kind of environment where we can talk about good and bad experiences.”

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