Le Bris: Masuaku could leave in January

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has admitted Arthur Masuaku could leave the club in January after a slow start to life at the Stadium of Light.

The left-back joined the Black Cats from Besiktas over the summer but has been limited to just three Premier League appearances and four in all competitions.

Masuaku is currently with Congo at the Africa Cup of Nations and Le Bris has revealed talks are planned with the defender in the January transfer window.

“It’s probably the most competitive part of our squad, the backline, with many good players. 

“Some of them have gained momentum and for Arthur, even though he’s a good player, he didn’t have many opportunities to play in this squad. 

“He’s still important for us. We had a conversation just before the AFCON and we agreed that in this transfer window we’ll have an opportunity to discuss [his future]. But it doesn’t mean he will leave, we still have to be aligned. 

“So if the collective and the individual projects are aligned, we can go like that. If we don’t and we have the opportunity to change, we will see.

“The way we work, we like working with consistency. Even if one or two players aren’t at their best for one game, it doesn’t mean they can’t play. Arthur hasn’t had the opportunities to stay consistent in the squad.”