WHEN Regis Le Bris first addressed his Sunderland players and set out his hopes and plans for the way the Black Cats will play this season, Romaine Mundle liked what he heard.

Le Bris talked about his love of attacking football and told the listening players of how he wants his Sunderland side to play on the front foot.

Mundle nodded along.

"As an attacker, that's all you want to hear," says the former Tottenham winger, who has enjoyed pre-season under the new head coach.

Despite the result, Mundle certainly had a smile on his face after Tuesday night's defeat at 2-1 Bradford City. The 21-year-old was by far Sunderland's stand-out performer, taking his chance on the left wing, troubling the home defence throughout and taking his goal well in the second half.

Mundle thinks he's starting to now get to grips with Le Bris' style and demands - and his display on Tuesday certainly backs that up.

"I feel like he has a distinctive way of playing that myself and the boys know I'm starting to get now," he said.

"Obviously, all the managers have different ideas. And I think it's a bit more intense as well for the boys in training sessions, trying to hit these numbers in training run-ins and stuff like that. But yes, I think there's a distinctive way of playing with Regis.

"He talked to us about having a higher press, being more attack-minded. I thought it would be good. It's still early days, but we're still adapting and trying to implement what he wants us to do on the pitch."

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As much as Mundle took his chance at Valley Parade, he knows what really matters is delivering from a week on Saturday onwards when the real stuff starts. And, as a winger, Mundle knows delivering means goals and assists.

"It has to be numbers," he says.

"Goals and assists. That's what you get judged on as an attacker. So it has to be hitting a specific amount of goals and assists in games. And just being effective as well. I struggled with that a couple of games (last season) but I just need to not be too hard on myself as well. It's just personal standards."

Sunderland wrap up their pre-season back at Valley Parade on Saturday, when they'll take on Marseille.

Mundle said: "I've enjoyed the couple of weeks that have gone. Qe're just taking every game as it comes, even pre-season games, and hopefully, we can just take it into the season."