SUNDERLAND midfielder Alan Browne has been blown away by head coach Regis Le Bris.

And he insists he's not just saying that because the Black Cats are top of the Championship.

Vastly experienced Browne has worked with plenty of managers during his career but has been struck by the "brilliance" of Le Bris in his first few months on Wearside since his summer arrival from Preston North End.

Sunderland's squad is packed with young talent who Browne believes will benefit enormously from the head coach's detailed knowledge of the game. But Browne too, at 29, is learning plenty from his new boss.

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“I think he’s absolutely brilliant, and that’s not just because we’re winning," said Browne, who came off the bench to rescue a point for Sunderland in the most unlikely of circumstances against Leeds last Friday night.

"Even when we are winning, he’s looking at what we can improve on. He’s not getting up our highlights and saying, ‘Well done everyone, that’s it for the week’, he looks at what we’ve done wrong and how we can fix it, and each game is different.

“We approach each game differently because not every team is the same and there’s different ways to beat teams. I think he’s really good at figuring that out, from what we’ve seen so far.

“Long may that continue. He’s a real, calm presence, he doesn’t get carried away or anything. Whether we’re winning or losing, he’s very intelligent and I think he’s a great asset for the club. He’s brilliant, not just for the younger boys, but also for myself to learn from.”

Browne is spending the international break on Wearside after being left out of Heimir Hallgrímsson’s Republic of Ireland squad for their games against Finland tonight and Greece on Sunday. Sunderland return to action a week on Sunday away at Hull City.