TONY MOWBRAY is excited by the potential of deadline-day signings Adil Aouchiche and Timothee Pembele – but will be adopting a tried-and-tested formula as he patiently integrates them into Sunderland’s first-team squad.

Aouchiche, an attacking midfielder, joined the Black Cats on a permanent basis last month, signing a five-year contract as he left Lorient. Pembele, a right-back, also signed a five-year deal as he completed a permanent move from Paris St Germain.

Neither player has any prior experience of playing in England, and given that they are aged 21 and 20 respectively, Mowbray is understandably reluctant to expect too much, too soon.

The Sunderland boss boasts extensive experience of dealing with overseas youngsters, having helped the likes of Abdoullah Ba and Jewison Bennette settle on Wearside after moves from abroad, and will once again be adopting a long-term approach as he looks to support and develop the Black Cats’ latest crop of emerging talents.

“They have to bed into the club, get a feel of it and be patient,” said Mowbray. “Let’s wait and see what happens, and how quickly we can integrate them into the group. We shouldn’t be sitting here with an anxiety of, ‘Get them into the team’ because that might also disrupt what we’ve been trying to do.

“I think it’s a similar situation to the lads who came at the same time last year. Even Amad (Diallo) was one of them – we brought him on patiently in the first few months. Look at Abdoullah – he had such an effective game the other day, but it’s really taken him a year to get to that point.

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“Jewison is the same. He still hasn’t really cracked through that ceiling of getting into the team, even though he’s shown his flashes. It takes time to acclimatise and become part of the group.

“There’s all the little things in life they have to do, and that we try to support them with. They might not really speak the language, they have to find a house, somewhere to live. If they’re driving, they probably think the cars are coming down the wrong side of the road.

“They’re young lads, and we have to give them time, I think. But they look like good footballers and they both need to play some footy. They need to play for our Under-21s and get up and running that way.”

Aouchiche boasts the greater experience of the duo, having made more than 80 senior appearances in the French top-flight. A product of PSG’s academy, he has represented both St Etienne and Lorient in Ligue 1 and won the Silver Ball award at the European Under-17 Championships in 2019 after scoring nine goals in five games.

“Adil played in a bounce game against Hartlepool the other day,” said Mowbray. “Technically, he’s a very good footballer.”

Pembele boasts 37 senior appearances in Ligue 1, both for PSG and during a loan spell at Bordeaux. He has played in the Champions League and also represented France at the Olympic Games.

“The young right-back, Timmy, looks fast, direct, positive and exciting,” said Mowbray. “I have to try to squeeze him into a team, though, where Trai Hume has been an outstanding footballer for us this year. He doesn’t really go blasting past Patrick Roberts, but he plays inside and feeds Patrick Roberts and that works well.

“There might be some games where we have to change the way we play, and maybe we can move Patrick inside and let Timmy go bombing on beyond him. That’s an option further down the line, but again, we have to be patient.

“He’s had an injury and is not really fit. He won’t be included in the matchday squad (at QPR), although he’s not far away.”