SHOCKING NEWS:Régis Le Bris confirmed the suspension of two key players few minutes ago..

It has been an outstanding start to the season for Sunderland in the Championship.

Sunderland endured an incredibly disappointing campaign last season as they finished 16th in the table, but their fortunes have improved significantly under the guidance of Regis Le Bris.

Le Bris has made an excellent start to life at the Stadium of Light, and the Black Cats head into the October international break sitting top of the table after picking up 19 points from their first nine league games.

Sunderland’s strong start is even more impressive considering that Le Bris has stuck with many of the same players that struggled in the second half of last season under Michael Beale and Mike Dodds, although the squad was bolstered by the arrival of 10 new signings this summer, including the likes of Chris Mepham, Alan Browne, Wilson Isidor, and Ahmed Abdullahi.

While it has been a hugely positive season so far for the Black Cats, some players will be unhappy with their lack of game time under Le Bris, such as midfielder Adil Aouchiche and winger Abdoullah Ba. Indeed, the duo are facing uncertain futures on Wearside.

It is a surprise that both Aouchiche and Ba have fallen out of favour at Sunderland but the former’s omission is particularly notable.

Aouchiche joined the Black Cats from Lorient last summer. While he was not always a regular starter, he enjoyed a decent first season at the Stadium of Light, scoring two goals and providing two assists in 28 appearances.

Many had assumed that Aouchiche would be a key player for Sunderland this season, given that he had worked under Le Bris previously at Lorient, but it has not worked out that way so far.

Ba made the move to Wearside from Le Havre in the summer of 2022, and prior to the start of this season, he had scored four goals and registered five assists in 73 games for the Black Cats.