Regis Le Bris' praise for Robin Roefs
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REGIS Le Bris is honest enough to admit he wasn't aware of Robin Roefs until this summer. But as soon as Sunderland's recruitment team pointed the head coach in the direction of the young Dutch keeper, he knew he wanted to sign the 22-year-old…
Asked when he first became aware of Roefs, Le Bris said: "During the market, the recruitment market.
It's an unpredictable journey. The recruitment team was aware of his position in the Netherlands but for me I discovered Robin in the summer.
"When I analysed his profile it was really clear that he was one of the best I've ever seen during this transfer window."
Le Bris added: “He is really balanced and it is not easy to find a goalkeeper with such good qualities in different areas. For us, shotstopping was important. For a keeper, that is non-negotiable. He is quick, very mobile when he manages crosses and he is really well connected with his backline so when there are balls in behind, he is always well aware and mobile in these situations and he is good with his feet.
"So when you add up all these different qualities and at his age, his background was not really huge because he is only 22 we took the risk. Because that is part of our identity, we are not scared by young players so for us, we are ready to support them, give them opportunities and at the minute, we are happy.”
Manchester United fans must wish their club had acted so swiftly and decisively in the summer window when it came to keepers.
After a summer of uncertainty between the posts, United finally moved to sign Senne Lammens late in the window but the Belgian is yet to play in the Premier League, with the unconvincing Altay Bayindir in possession of the gloves after the exit of Andre Onana.
So, did United miss a trick not trying to sign Roefs?
"I don't know. Every club has their own criteria," said Le Bris. "Here in Sunderland our own profile was really well designed and clear for everyone. I don't know whether it was the same idea at Manchester United."
The pressure is very much on United ahead of today's game (3pm), and while Le Bris firmly believes his side can continue their excellent start with a win at Old Trafford, he won't be underestimating the struggling hosts.
He said: “We still have to stay humble because we have to respect Manchester United, they are a strong squad. They are struggling but they have strong players and I repeat, we had this same conversation about Aston Villa. They had struggled, they were not at their best but one week later that has gone, they have improved their level.
"So it can happen for Manchester United. And remember, they won at Old Trafford against Burnley and Chelsea, so it is not a bad team. Just stay humble, try our best and we will see.”