Connolly was again an unused substitute on Sunday as the Black Cats edged past Portsmouth 1-0, with Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda leading the line. For the second game in a row, Le Bris deployed Nazariy Rusyn as a substitute; Connolly has not started a game since scoring against Millwall in November and has just two appearances to his name since the start of December.
Sunderland are known to be on the search for another striker in the January transfer window and could additionally add another versatile forward if the right option is available. Le Bris said it was too early to say what Connolly’s prospects at the club were but admitted that he would likely have to be patient in his search for more opportunities and hinted that a departure later this month was not out of the question.
“I think it’s more a question of momentum,” Le Bris said.
“We spoke a lot with Aaron. Eli started well and then was injured. After Wilson was very good, they built momentum. When you have this momentum, you have to trust the players. If I change every time, it doesn’t make sense. Aaron’s still a good player and teammate but he has to wait.
“We’ll see [what the future holds]. It’s still important we have this discussion and conversation with him this month and we’ll look to build the best pathway for our players. Sometimes it’s not your story. We don’t know at the moment what will be the outcome; we’ll have this conversation.”
Connolly could get a valuable opportunity to impress when Sunderland host Stoke City in the third round of the FA Cup next weekend, with Le Bris likely to rotate his side significantly. Connolly is out of contract in the summer having agreed a short-term deal until the end of the current campaign when signing for the club in September.
