Sunderland summer signing Dayann Methalie made his debut for the Black Cats against Manchester City before the international break.
Sunderland full-back Dayann Methalie is hoping to use his debut performance against Manchester City as a learning curve for the next stages of his Black Cats career.
Sunderland signed Methalie from Toulouse for £25.7m in the summer window, with the young defender granted his first start by Regis Le Bris in the 1-0 Carabao Cup win over Hull City in September, and was withdrawn after 65 minutes following a stellar outing.
Before the international break, Methalie made his Premier League debut for Sunderland in the 5-3 defeat at Man City, and endured a performance encompassing both mistakes and bright moments.
In the opening minutes, Methalie was booked after giving away a foul after some slack defensive work, which saw City midfielder Enzo Fernandez score the opener past Robin Roefs with a wonderful dead ball from a tight angle, which caught the Sunderland goalkeeper unawares.
However, the French youth international grew into the game at City after his early error, with Le Bris’ side ultimately falling to a dramatic defeat despite Brian Brobbey’s hat-trick heroics.
Sunderland's Dayann Methalie in action against Manchester City (REUTERS)Dayann Methalie Reflects On Start To Sunderland Career
Despite coming out of his debut performance at fault for the opening goal, the experience of facing a side with the attacking quality and technical prowess of Enzo Maresca’s side will be a welcome lesson down the line for the 20-year-old.
Methalie is one of several Sunderland players currently away on international duty, with the full-back an unused substitute in the French under-21s draw against Iceland under-21s in the U21s European Championship qualifiers.
Amid the break, Methalie has explained that his biggest lesson from the City defeat was to understand the pace of English football, especially against one of the most formidable opponents in European football.
Methalie told Sunderland’s media: “I think we did a good game for us because we scored frequently against a very good team.
“We made some mistakes and did some good things, and I think it’s a good game to lay the foundations for the rest of the season.
“I think we have to improve on this, and it’s a good point for the next game."
He added: "The best thing for me, I think, is that I have to stay concentrated at the beginning and at the end of the game.
“When you play against this team, it’s difficult. They play quick, so we have to be smart.”
Methalie Will Have Big Part To Play For Sunderland
Methalie has been signed as the understudy for Reinildo in the left-back role for Sunderland, with the French youth international having an exceptionally high technical and physical ceiling.
Reinildo reacts after giving away penalty against Arsenal (Action Images via Reuters)Over the course of the season, Methalie will have an important role in Le Bris’ side, with his presence as a different tactical option to Reinildo having the potential to help unlock defences from wide areas.
Former Atletico Madrid full-back Reinildo is much more defensively minded than the 20-year-old summer signing, whereas Methalie is more intent on overlapping his teammate at left-wing and piercing the opposition backline with his raw pace.
For Le Bris, having two different yet important profiles at left-back offers fantastic tactical flexibility, meaning Methalie will have the potential to shine at Sunderland across his debut campaign at the Stadium of Light.
Despite his experience, Reinildo’s performances at the start of the season, namely his red card in the 2-0 defeat to Arsenal before the break, has meant that the 32-year-old’s starting role is not unequivocally guaranteed under Le Bris.
Therefore, the onus is now on Methalie to learn his lessons from the defeat at the Etihad and implement those into his performance over the rest of the season, to nail down the starting Sunderland left-back role as his own.
