Rarely-seen Sunderland AFC star must eye exit unless Regis Le Bris has a change of heart | OneFootball

The midfielder is yet to make a league appearance for the club this season.

While the spotlight has been on Sunderland's flying stars, it is easy to forget about the exiles who have not featured under Regis Le Bris.

The Black Cats have enjoyed an emphatic start to the season and have accumulated 25 points from their opening 11 matches; the Wearsiders are perched top of the Championship table - three points above Burnley and Leeds United.

It would be tough to pick out any particular player for praise, given the high level of performance all over the pitch from Le Bris' men.

In the shadow of Sunderland's starters, there are several players who have not featured at all in the Championship, with Abdoullah Ba leading the list of outcasts.

Abdoullah Ba yet to feature for Sunderland in the Championship

Ba is yet to feature in the Championship under Le Bris, who was announced as Sunderland manager in late June.

The Frenchman missed a chunk of the club's pre-season with injury, which put him behind his teammates. However, he has now had plenty of time to impress the new manager.

The midfielder's only appearance came in the Black Cats' 2-0 defeat to Preston North End in the Carabao Cup, where he and the majority of Sunderland's second string failed to make an impact.

The 21-year-old has been restricted to the bench at best and has not featured in the match day squad in the Wearsiders' last two outings.

Regis Le Bris not an admirer of Abdoullah Ba

Clearly, the Black Cats boss is not an admirer of Ba, otherwise he would have featured.

Of course, Sunderland have been flying in the Championship, meaning that the manager's side almost picks itself. With the likes of Patrick Roberts and Romaine Mundle thriving on the wings, there is simply no place for the Frenchman.

When Le Bris has rotated, which has not been often, he has opted to push Chris Rigg outside rather than hand an opportunity to a natural wide player.

The fact that Ba cannot even get onto Sunderland's bench rings alarm bells, especially since the 21-year-old featured 39 times in the league for Sunderland last season.

Tommy Watson appears to have surpassed Ba in the pecking order and has been named on Le Bris' bench on a regular basis. Furthermore, the teenager has appeared in the league three times as a substitute, while Ba has been left on the bench.

January move would offer Abdoullah Ba solution

Considering Ba has not featured in the league this season, a January move must surely be in the offing.

According to the Northern Echo, the midfielder, along with Adil Aouchiche, was allowed to leave the club in the summer but a move never materialised.

When speaking to the Northern Echo in late September, Le Bris offered a way back for Ba. He said: "It's a question of the dynamic, the momentum of the game - so we will see. Adil and Abdoullah are with us until the next transfer window, so they have my trust as players of Sunderland and players who have qualities to play and perform in the game.

"Because they had the opportunity to leave, they needed to reconnect to the project and I like their behaviour in the training sessions this week."

It has been over a month since these words and the 21-year-old is yet to make a league appearance. Clearly, the midfielder has not done enough to impress Le Bris and an exit feels extremely likely.

At 21, Ba has a long future ahead of him, but he has much to prove if he is to pave his way into this current side. Whether he will leave on loan or permanently remains to be seen, but he needs playing time.

Despite making 39 league appearances last season, Ba has not played a single minute of Championship football this campaign.

Although the midfielder was allowed to leave in the summer, there were no suitors for his services; Le Bris opened the door to a return for the 21-year-old, but he is still lingering outside.