Le Bris: Granit is my rock

REGIS LE BRIS has paid tribute to his on-field 'manager' Granit Xhaka.

- BY JASON MELLOR

Xhaka (above) swiftly made Sunderland captain following his £13 million arrival from Bayer Leverkusen in July, has rightly won plaudits for his galvanising performances.

And modest Black Cats boss Le Bris is happy to deflect the praise that has come his way following his side's superb start to life in the top flight.

"My target as a coach is that you don't want to be the main man, for me it's not my purpose," he said.

"I want to give knowledge, power and responsibility to the squad.

"I know you have to manage the game in real time on the sideline but you can't do that because of the noise of the crowd and the fact you're not a player on the pitch.

"I have Granit on the pitch and he can manage different micro situations. Granit helps a lot. He leads by example and gives the team faith and hope.

"When we played at Chelsea [Sunderland won 2-1] he believed we could win and he shows that in how he plays and in the message he sends to the dressing room."