Sunderland: Regis Le Bris quizzed on Adil Aouchiche's future ahead of January | OneFootball

The boss previously said that Aouchiche would be allowed to leave in the new year.

An unpredictable future lies ahead of Sunderland midfielder Adil Aouchiche as the scenario of him leaving the club in January remains a murky one following a run of games in the side.

All the signs previously pointed to a winter exit for the French wide player in the upcoming transfer window. He'd struggled to get regular minutes in the first team, following a near exit in the summer, and the club's head coach, Regis Le Bris, admitted that him, Abdoullah Ba and Nazariy Rusyn would be made available for transfer in the new year.

This statement by the Frenchman came before Sunderland's 1-1 draw with Bristol City, in which Aouchiche set up Patrick Roberts' late equaliser. Since then, the 22-year-old has featured three times in the league, more than he had done in the first few months of the campaign, including a start in the Black Cats' late defeat to Stoke City on Saturday.

His emergence into the first-team thanks to a string of injuries, and how impressed those within the Sunderland camp have been with his handling of his situation, has thrown his destiny with the club up in the air a bit.

Regis Le Bris on Adil Aouchiche's Sunderland future

The Sunderland boss has said it's "too early" to call what will happen to Aouchiche in the new year. He has had the most game time of late of the transfer-listed trio, and that should only continue given his performance against Stoke and the time it will take to get the likes of Romaine Mundle back to full fitness following a hamstring injury.

"With Adil, I think it is too early to say what will happen in January," said Le Bris, via the Northern Echo. "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."

Sunderland can't afford to let go of too many players too early in January

The biggest pain in the neck for Le Bris and his team this season has been injuries. It's hard to have a fully fit squad at any time in a Championship campaign, but Sunderland have struggled to come anywhere near that point at times this season.

The constant chopping and changing of lineups has led to some inconsistency, which has seen them drop a bit off the leader's (Leeds United) pace.

As much as the head coach may want to clear space for new arrivals early on in January, they might not be able to because of all the players that they currently have out. Losing Aouchiche, Ba or Rusyn would further stretch Le Bris' resources, something that Sunderland might not be able to afford to do.