JACK CLARKE admits he is having to adapt his game to meet Regis Le Bris’ requirements for his new-look Sunderland side, but the winger is excited about the future under the French head coach.

Clarke continues to be the subject of ongoing transfer speculation, with Southampton and Ipswich Town both having made inquiries about the 23-year-old.

Clarke has also been linked with a possible move overseas, with Lazio having had a bid for his services rejected in January, but the York-born wide-man insists his sole focus is on having a successful season with Sunderland.

He has been in fine form in pre-season, scoring three goals in his three summer starts, and has been tweaking his game to fit in with the high-tempo, possession-based style Le Bris is trying to cultivate.

“Like everybody else, I’m just trying to get back into the swing of things, dust off the cobwebs and try and learn,” said Clarke, who scored Sunderland’s winner in their weekend victory over League One Blackpool.

“The new manager has come in and wants us to play a different style to what we’re used to, and we’re all trying to adapt to that as well.”

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Sunderland’s preparations continue tomorrow evening when they head to Valley Parade to take on League Two opposition in the shape of Bradford City.

Le Bris has whittled down his first-team squad, leaving out Jay Matete, Jewison Bennette and Luis Hemir at the weekend, and is starting to give his senior players more time on the pitch, with Clarke having played the full 90 minutes at Bloomfield Road.

“Especially in the Championship, you’ve got three game weeks every other week, so you’ve got to be ready at all times,” said Clarke, in an interview with Sunderland’s official website. “The next two games (against Bradford and Marseille) are going to be different tests and we’ll need to be ready for them to put us in the best shape for the season.”

Clarke was happy with aspects of Sunderland’s play at the weekend, with the Black Cats dominating possession against Blackpool, even if they struggled to translate their superiority into clear-cut chances.

“I thought we had some good spells,” he said. “I think you can see what the manager is trying to implement, make sure that we give a good reflection of ourselves, and I think for large parts of the game we got things right and it was a good performance.”