"He's a decent player" - Sunderland AFC urged to avoid offloading Frenchman this month | OneFootball

Adil Aouchiche recently received his first two starts of the campaign, but does he have a place in Sunderland's promotion push?

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Adil Aouchiche has been somewhat brought in from the cold in recent weeks, as he bookended the calendar year with his first two starts of Sunderland's impressive Championship campaign.

Having played just 12 minutes between August and the end of November, the former France U20 international laid claim to his value in Régis Le Bris' side by providing a crucial late assist against Bristol City on December 10th.

It is no coincidence that his inclusion began shortly after an ongoing long-term injury to winger Romaine Mundle, the return-date of whom is still unknown.

While Mundle's injury allowed the versatile midfielder into substitution contention, the more recent injury of 17-year-old prodigal midfielder Chris Rigg, an ankle problem sustained against Blackburn on Boxing Day, has bumped Aouchiche up the pecking order further still.

Featuring heavily in an impressive 2-1 win against Sheffield United, Aouchiche has proved he is more than capable of contributing to the Black Cats' promotion push, though with his place in the starting eleven purely circumstantial, will the former PSG man have the assurances needed to stop him from moving elsewhere this January?

No rush to move on 'decent squad player' Aouchiche, says pundit

When asked about the prospect of keeping Adil Aouchiche in light of Sunderland's recent injury issues, FLW’s Sunderland fan pundit, Jack Auswicke, agreed that the Frenchman is an important, if not peripheral, member of the squad.

"I do think Adil Aouchiche should be kept around. He's played a few games and shown bright sparks. I thought he was actually quite good against Stoke.

"Again, not one of our better players, and when Romaine Mundle comes in he'll be straight out of the team, but he's a decent player all round, in my opinion.

"I think he should be kept around. He's a decent squad player and can have an effect off the bench occasionally, so it can't really hurt to keep him around, can it?

"Other players can go, the likes of Abdoullah Ba for example, who hasn't got a sniff this season, I think his time's up at Sunderland, but definitely I'd keep Aouchiche around for a little while."

A resounding 'Aouchiche in' from Auswicke, who believes the attacking midfielder can be effective off the bench, even when everyone is fit.

The timing of Aouchiche's newfound inclusion in Sunderland's attacking set-up is incredibly interesting, as Mackem boss Régis Le Bris has been rather public in his admittance that the Frenchman, along with anyone else struggling for gametime, may leave in January.

Speaking to the Sunderland Echo in early December, the manager stated: “If you don’t have the opportunity to play, and you have an option with another club that is good for your development, then sometimes that is a good option to take and move on. We will see what happens."

However, speaking to them again on the penultimate day of the calander year, his opinion has seemingly changed in light of the month's events: "With Adil, I think it is too early to say what will happen in January. A season is full of many experiences. You can start with an idea but with the evolution of the season, you can change your assessment of the situation. It is probably too early to decide and we'll see how we can build this second half of the season." inferring Aouchiche is, for now, very much within his countryman's plans.

With his contract not expiring until 2028, there is no urgency from the club's perspective to sell the 22-year-old, and with fortunes improving on an individual level, this could well be the start of the once-thought wonderkid realising his true potential at the perfect time for all parties.