During the summer, both of the offensive players were made available for transfer, but no deals were made.
Although Ba has returned to the squad for the previous three Championship games, he has not been used as a substitute, and Aouchiche has not played at all since coming off the bench late in the team’s victory over Sheffield Wednesday back in August.

Aouchiche hasn’t played for Graeme Murty’s team since it played Everton last month, but Ba had a taste of life for the Under-21s in midweek, playing the whole ninety minutes in the 3-2 victory against Huddersfield Town.

Le Bris, who maintains that both Ba and Le Bris can still play for his team this season, says Sunderland must be picky about which over-age players they believe would benefit most from playing for the Under-21s.

“With the U21s, you have to manage with the ages because there is a maximum you can pick above the age – three, I think,” he stated.

Therefore, we had to exercise caution and make a decision. The same is true for Adil, Abdoullah, and everyone else; if a job is available, they can try to get it.

“With the length of the season, I don’t overlook any players; they can all be crucial. Any player can play for sure if he works well and is involved with the project, the team, and the game model.