HARRISON JONES is now a fully-fledged member of Sunderland’s senior squad – with Regis Le Bris tipping the teenager to get more first-team action in the remainder of the season.
Jones made his senior Sunderland debut as a substitute in August’s Carabao Cup defeat to Preston, and was handed his first senior start in January’s FA Cup third-round defeat to Stoke City.
He was on the bench at Hillsborough last Friday, and got his first taste of Championship action when he was introduced as an 89th-minute replacement for Eliezer Mayenda.
Le Bris could have turned to Salis Abdul Samed or Milan Aleksic as he looked to close out the game, but instead opted to bring on Jones even though the midfielder only turned 20 in December.
The Black Cats boss clearly feels he can trust the Sunderland-born academy product, and with Jones now training with the senior group on a full-time basis, there is a good chance the youngster will get more first-team minutes in the remaining 11 games of the regular Championship season.
“He (Jones) showed good qualities during the training sessions,” said Le Bris. “He is nice boy, really well-connected with everybody, and is a hard worker too. He has a willingness to improve every day, so I think he deserved that opportunity.
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“He has shown on a number of occasions that he is part of the group and ready to play. I think he can get more minutes moving forward, it is possible.”
Sunderland’s most recent home game ended in a 1-0 defeat to Hull City, and while Le Bris is adamant complacency was not a factor in his side losing their unbeaten home record, he will nevertheless be looking for a response when Cardiff visit the Stadium of Light tomorrow.
“It’s very important that doesn’t happen again,” he said. “I don’t think it was because of an over-confidence – we had other games before where we were on the limit and it was possible to lose at home.
“It just means we have to be consistent every time. This league is special – we can’t dominate anyone just because we are there on the pitch with them. We have to work hard, be consistent and also be clinical when opportunities come our way.”
