Patrick Roberts? The 3 Sunderland AFC players that need to prove a point in pre-season or risk 2024/25 axe | OneFootball

The Sunderland players with a point to prove this pre-season

Sunderland’s head coach search has finally come to an end after a protracted appointment process.

Frenchman Régis Le Bris has arrived as the permanent replacement for Michael Beale, who was dismissed from the role in February.

The 48-year-old will now be looking to make his preparations for pre-season, which will be getting underway soon.

The players will be returning after a disappointing end to the previous campaign, with the team finishing 16th in the table, only six points clear of the relegation zone.

Le Bris’ arrival will afford the squad a fresh start to impress the new coach, and there will be many names looking to make a strong first impression.

Here we look at the Sunderland players that need to prove a point in pre-season, or else risk finding themselves down the pecking order in 2024/25…

Nazariy Rusyn

Nazariy Rusyn joined Sunderland last summer as a solution to their striker problem, with the Black Cats investing in the young Ukrainian as a future prospect that could develop with consistent game time.

But the 25-year-old struggled for regular minutes, making nine starts from 21 appearances in the Championship (all stats from Fbref).

The forward scored twice, as the team ultimately struggled to a 16th place finish, with a lack of goals from their frontline proving a real issue.

The club should be prioritising a new attacking option this summer, even if Jack Clarke does end up staying at the Stadium of Light.

But if Rusyn can perform in pre-season, then that could change the Black Cats’ potential transfer plans and give optimism that he has what it takes to lead the line next season under Le Bris.

Patrick Roberts

Patrick Roberts’ game time took a hit in the last year or so, with injuries not helping, playing 32 times in the Championship and making only 21 starts.

The 27-year-old is a versatile asset for Sunderland, with his ability to play across the frontline an advantageous quality to have from a forward option.

However, he contributed zero goals and just two assists in the league, and was part of an attack that struggled to make much of an impact.

At 27, he needs to be performing at a higher level and on a more consistent basis in order to keep his place in this Sunderland team.

With the Wearside outfit’s preference for youth, it wouldn’t come as a shock if a young player was targeted this summer to take minutes from Roberts.

But if he can perform well in pre-season, then he might just show to Le Bris that he deserves to be a key part of the first team squad next season.

Nectarios Triantis

Nectarios Triantis signed last summer from the A-League, but was unable to break into the club’s first team plans.

This led to a January loan move to Hibernian, where he played 12 times in the Premiership.

The centre-back has returned to the Stadium of Light, and will need a good pre-season to show he is ready to take the step up to the Championship.

Triantis could find himself being sent out on loan again if he doesn’t perform in the coming weeks, making this a very important point of his career.