Sunderland AFC: Regis Le Bris confirms who will replace Jobe Bellingham v Preston | OneFootball

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris confirmed that Alan Browne will deputise for Jobe Bellingham against Preston and has full faith in his stand-in man

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has confirmed that Alan Browne will deputise for the suspended Jobe Bellingham against Preston North End on Wednesday night.

Bellingham was sent off in Saturday's 0-0 draw against QPR and is sure to be sorely missed by the Black Cats, who travel to the North West bidding to protect their spot at the Championship summit.

Browne actually started the QPR game alongside Bellingham, but may occupy a slightly different role at Deepdale on Wednesday as Sunderland's midfield suddenly starts to look a bit light in the loafers.

Still, they travel protecting a six-match unbeaten league run, and despite being light in midfield, Le Bris has insisted that Sunderland will stick to what they've been successful with this season and that he doesn't plan to change system to accommodate.

That's music to the ears of Browne, who will finally get chance to psot a run of games after the start of his Sunderland career has been dominated by substitute appearances.

Le Bris confirmed Browne will start against Preston

It's sure to be an emotionally charged evening for Browne, who swapped the white of Preston for the red and white of Sunderland over the summer when his Deepdale deal expired.

Browne signed for Preston in 2014 from Cork City and spent the best part of a decade with the club, but there'll be no room for sentiment on Wednesday night as Le Bris confirmed he'll be playing from the off.

"He (Browne) will play and he deserves to play obviously because he's a great professional and with good experience, good leadership, quiet leadership but strong leadership is very interesting,” Le Bris said ahead of the trip to Preston.

"Obviously our midfielders played very well since the beginning of the season and for Brownie he needed to wait but he knows that that league is so long that he was sure that he'll have opportunities to play so it's now and he did well so I'm confident for him."

Browne has certainly had to be patient to get his opportunity, starting just three games this season before the QPR match, but now he has a spot in the team, he'll be keen to turn in some solid performances that let Le Bris know he isn't keen to relinquish his staring berth.

Browne brings something different to Bellingham

Although Le Bris insisted that he didn't want a tactical shift in his side by changing the formation, Browne replacing Bellingham in the midfield will bring a slightly different dynamic.

Browne's game is largely based off industry and hard work, and while Bellingham can also do the dirty side of the game, he brings sprinklings of star quality that ultimately win games.

Bellingham will almost certainly be a huge miss for the Black Cats, but as they already have star quality in the front line from the likes of Wilson Isidor, Romaine Mundle and Patrick Roberts, perhaps some added steel in the midfield as they hit the road isn't a bad thing.

In Browne, they have a man out to prove a point too as he returns to his former stomping ground, and while the x-factor Bellingham brings might not be on display, Browne's dogged determination may be just the tonic Sunderland need to stay at the summit.