Regis Le Bris admits Sunderland planned to use new signing in a different role.

By Regis Le Bris’ own admission, Sunderland felt that one of their new faces could perform a very different role when he arrived at the Stadium of Light over the summer.

But as The Black Cats cruised back to the top of the Championship table with a 2-0 win over Derby County on Tuesday night, Wilson Isidor made another big stride towards nailing down his spot at centre-forward.

Brought in on loan from Zenit St Petersburg after Sunderland failed to agree a deal with Caen for Alexandre Mendy and after Roko Simic opted to join Cardiff City instead, Isidor took his time to get going on Wearside.

But as he marked a maiden Sunderland start with a goal against Watford on Saturday, Isidor struck in very similar fashion as Le Bris’ side swept past Derby County.

It was Patrick Roberts, at Vicarage Road, who fizzed in the cross for Isidor to convert. This time, the Frenchman was on hand to turn home a Romaine Mundle delivery from the opposite flank.

And Le Bris believes that Isidor is already showing signs of improvement, particularly with regards to his ability to get on the end of crosses.

The manager also admits that – after being reunited with his former Rennes starlet in the North East – Isidor had initially been considered as competition for Mundle on the left before emerging himself as the club’s go-to number nine.

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris delighted by Wilson Isidor impact

“The second goal was really important in the beginning of the second half,” Le Bris remarked in his post-game analysis. Jobe Bellingham’s incredible goal gave Sunderland the lead in the 40th minute, and Isidor netted after that.

Le Bris still wants more despite Sunderland’s Derby County win

This was certainly not the hosts finest display of the season – Derby defender Kane Wilson highlighted an ‘amazing’ Sunderland midfield as the main difference between the two teams – but Le Bris surely could not have imagined that life across the Channel would have started so superbly.

It was a challenging game once more. Even though we can have greater control over the game, particularly in possession, I think our first half was good,” the former FC Lorient coach continues.”We scored following a strong comeback, and leading by score is crucial in this type of match.

“They tried to unbalance us with direct play, but we scored quickly after halftime, and that’s when the game became more chaotic.”

“Were incredibly powerful in combat. We remained disciplined, and that form serves as our cornerstone. We excelled in set pieces because they are experts in this field.

“We exercised good discipline. At home, it’s another victory. In possession, I would like to exert more dominance because we possess the quality.

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