ANDY REID has hailed Sunderland’s new-look attacking formation but warned supporters not to expect a comfortable victory over Liverpool this Saturday.

The Irish midfielder has enjoyed the best spell of his Black Cats career under Steve Bruce while failing to make an impression on his international boss Geovanni Trapattoni.

His exile from the Republic of Ireland squad could be about to end, however, after Trapattoni admitted he was considering recalling Reid for the World Cup play-offs.

The Italian noted: “A coach must decide for balance the players in his squad. We can not satisfy all the people, every man, every reporter.”

Asked if he will think about re-calling Reid, he replied “yes.”

Reid’s creativity and improved levels of fitness have seen him flourish this season in a Sunderland shirt and he is relishing Bruce’s positive tactical approach, which almost saw the Wearsiders secure their first victory at Old Trafford for 41 years.

“We imposed ourselves on Manchester United and I don’t think many Sunderland teams have managed that in recent times,” he noted.

“Everybody should have confidence in their own ability. I go into a game feeling that I can get the better of whoever I am playing against. With the team spirit we have around the place you go into a game knowing that your teammates will do their job too. It’s a nice feeling knowing everybody is up for it and there are no weak links.

“A lot of teams line up against United or Liverpool and they are beaten before they leave the changing room.

I think the only way to go about things is to have a go.”

But he added a note of caution: “Just because we got a draw at Old Trafford I hope people don’t come down to the game expecting us to beat Liverpool 2-0 or 3-0. I can tell you now we aren’t going to beat Liverpool 3-0. All we can do is give the same level of performance and hopefully get the result we want.”

Reid believes that Bruce’s clear instructions are paying dividends on the pitch.

“I feel that everybody has a much clearer idea what is expected of them individually and as part of the team. The manager explains himself very well.

“His preparation is incredibly thorough and that is paying off. I am enjoying playing out on the left and don’t really want to move into the middle to be honest. I am trying to nail down a spot and make it my own so I am concentrating on developing my game on the left side.”