REGIS LE BRIS has told Liverpool transfer target Trey Ogunsuyi he is better off staying with the rest of Sunderland’s talented teens.
Arne Slot’s Premier League leaders have swooped to sign a host of wonderkids such as Trey Nyoni, Amara Nallo and Rio Ngumoha over recent months.
Now Championship promotion hopefuls Sunderland could have a job on their hands to hold on to their 17-year-old hotshot as the Reds plot a January swoop.
The Belgian youth international, who moved to the Stadium of Light eight years ago, penned his first pro deal in January.
Ogunsuyi looked destined to follow in the footsteps of Chris Rigg, 17, and Tommy Watson, 18, by becoming the latest academy product to break into the first team.
He has already been an unused substitute three times and has scored 15 goals combined for Sunderland’s youth sides – but that form has caught the eye of Liverpool.
Ogunsuyi, believed to be under contract until 2026, has seen his pals and fellow teen Jobe Bellingham flourish under Le Bris.
And the French coach believes Wearside is the best place for the forward, who has 15 goals in 17 appearances combined for the U21s and U18s, to blossom.
The Sunderland boss said: “Yes, I think so. He’s very young and probably Riggy, Tommy and Jobe are the best examples to follow in our club.
“When you move to another club with a very strong squad you have to find the right environment to develop yourself.
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“I don’t know. Social media and so on can talk a lot but at the end if we create the right environment and the player, his family and agents are rational, we are in a good place to create the right pathway for him.”
Le Bris admits that signing a new striker is “probably” his priority once the window re-opens, but he added that Ogunsuyi is not too far away from being part of his squad regularly.
When asked on how close the prodigy is to featuring more, he added: “I don’t know really. It’s a question of opportunities.
“He’s been in training sessions so now we know each other and he knows the group.
“Sometimes you have to wait, sometimes it could happen after two or three games. He’s close to the group.”
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