MEN OF GRANIT

Le Bris calls on Black Cats squad to fill Xhaka shoes

- BY JASON MELLOR

REGIS LE BRIS is holding out for a hero or two after admitting it will take more than one man to fill a Granit Xhaka-shaped hole in Sunderland’s midfield.

The Black Cats’ talisman and skipper has been ruled out for most of February with an ankle injury in a major blow to his sides hopes of building on their impressive first half of the campaign.

Le Bris reckons it probably takes two players to stand in for the inspirational Swiss ace who, despite missing the abject 3-1 defeat at West Ham, was the only Sunderland player to show much fight as he became embroiled in a public argument with a Hammers fan from the bench.