Exclusive Interview with Regis Le Bris: Sunderland Manager Discusses Jobe Bellingham, Romaine Mundle, and Chris Rigg

Sunderland are currently leading the pack in the Sky Bet Championship under the management of Regis Le Bris.

The Frenchman has breathed fresh life into the Black Cats after a season of stagnation last time out, with a young squad full of exuberance, excitement and energy.

Three of those players are 21-year-old Romaine Mundle, 19-year-old Jobe Bellingham and 17-year-old academy product Chris Rigg.

Le Bris talks us through the talents of all three...

Mundle: The winger who made Wearside move on from their last hero

There were times in the last couple of years, particularly last season, where Sunderland were almost ridiculously reliant on Jack Clarke.

The left winger was their focal point and their centre-piece, and the prospect of him leaving left Sunderland fans in a cold sweat.

Mundle, a Tottenham academy player who arrived from Standard Liege in January, has ensured the transition has been seamless since Clarke moved to Ipswich in August.

Le Bris is a fan of the player with three goals to his name this season already.

"He has the ability to dribble, to create unbalance in a one-on-one situation and to defend with the team," the Sunderland boss tells .

"It's not a big surprise to see his level at the moment.

"The question is the consistency and his ability to repeat these kinds of performances. For young players that is always the question.

"I think he's able to do that, but he needs to achieve that goal."

Le Bris, who only got to work with Clarke for a couple of games, agrees that Mundle has made his departure easy to manage.

But the 21-year-old has a way to go still to replicate the consistency of Clarke.

"At the end of his journey with us Jack was able to [perform consistently]," he added. "He had built that ability before.

"So Romain needs some time to build this as well. He's not the only player who is able to play on that side. Right now he has that responsibility."

Jobe: Power, pressing and linking defence and attack

Jobe Bellingham burst impressively into action at Sunderland last season, but his form dipped as he started to tire in the second half of the campaign, and as the club started to struggle and managers changed.

He was also shifted from position to position, often used as a No 10 or a false nine among other roles. Le Bris has switched him a little deeper, and the 19-year-old, with his 6ft 3ins frame, has been exceptional.

"He's still a young player with the ability to play in many different roles," says the Sunderland boss.

"But I like him as a No 8, because I think he's an offensive midfielder. He can express his power, his ability to run and his ability to press - to link defence and attack."

No more was that driving from deep shown than with his stunning goal against Derby County on Wednesday night.

"He is very linked in our left triangle with Denis Cirkin and Mundle," continues Le Bris. "That could be his best position, but because he's young he has a big potential in many areas.

"He has elements to develop, so we can still be surpised by his other qualities.

"But for me, right now, his best position is as an offensive midfielder on the left side. And we'll see during the season if he's able to develop other sides to his game."

Rigg: The 17-year-old local boy who could go to the top

And then there is Chris Rigg who, at 17, makes Mundle and Bellingham look like senior statesmen.

The academy graduate, who made his debut at 15, has secured a berth in Le Bris' midfield. The potential is there to go to the very top, and he showed his brilliance with a back-heeled winner against Middlesbrough last month.

"I don't know how he has that maturity, some players don't have that at 30," Le Bris told after their win over Boro.

"He wants to learn and has the personality to play in front of this crowd [at the Stadium of Light]."

Rigg came off the bench on opening day and has started every game since. But Le Bris doesn't see his youth as a barrier to how important he can be for the side.

"I don't think that age is a problem," the Black Cats boss added.

"You can have a high level of maturity at 17 and you can have a low level of maturity at 30, so it depends on the personality of the player and Chris Rigg is a good symbol of what we want to create and what we want to build as a team, as a club.

"He still wants to improve, he still wants to understand the game and if we can share all these ideas, at the end we can feel the energy as a group, as a unit, as a team even against a strong opponent."