REGIS Le Bris insists Leo Hjelde remains part of his Sunderland plans, despite the fact the defender hasn't played a single minute of Championship football for the Black Cats so far this season.

Hjelde, who joined Sunderland from Leeds United in January, enjoyed an impressive pre-season but has found himself on the fringes so far this term, with his only taste of action coming in the Carabao Cup first round defeat to Preston.

Le Bris is well stocked at centre-half, with Luke O'Nien, Dan Ballard, Aji Alese and Chris Mepham all above Hjelde in the pecking order, though the 21-year-old can also play at left-back.

Despite the battle Hjelde faces to get into the team, Le Bris insists the Norwegian still has a future on Wearside and has been hugely impressed by the defender's attitude and approach.

"He's very close to the team and he will have opportunities for sure," said Sunderland's head coach.

"He's a good player, he has a good mentality, he is still very connected with the team. We need this kind of player.

"They are not really involved at the minute but they are very close to the team and I'm sure he will have an opportunity to play."

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Le Bris has stuck with what has largely been a settled side in the early stages of the campaign, which presents an obvious challenge for the head coach and his staff - how to keep those on the fringes happy.

"It's still important to talk and take care of every player," he said.

"The core, who are very involved, it's easy for them because we have a lot of feedback and meetings, so it's very easy to connect with them.

"With the others, as a coach and as technical staff we need to take care of them, because we don't have this information about the game but we can still speak with them about their improvement, the project and so on."