🚨EXCLUSIVE :Lee Johnson shares verdict on Sunderland and reveals ‘powerful’ thing they have right now

Former Sunderland boss Lee Johnson has shared his thoughts on the Black Cats’ start to life under Regis Le Bris.

   Under the ownership of Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, Sunderland have made great strides, moving up from League One and now find themselves second in the Championship table.

   Regis Le Bris headlines the Stadium of Light.    He is the fifth permanent manager in the Louis-Dreyfus era, although Lee Johnson was the first.

   Johnson was already in charge of Sunderland when Louis-Dreyfus’ takeover was confirmed, with the 43-year-old winning 40 of his 78 games in charge and also lifting the EFL Cup in 2021.

   Johnson has since had spells at Hibernian and Fleetwood Town, although both were reportedly short-lived, with the former Bristol City boss now out of work since leaving Fleetwood last December.

   Sunderland manager Lee Johnson applauds fans wearing face masks during the Sky Bet League One match between Sunderland and Lincoln City at Sta…

   Lee Johnson’s verdict on Sunderland under Regis Le Bris

   Sunderland deserve huge praise for their start to life under Le Bris, as well as for almost everything else.

   Kristjaan Speakman was praised for his impressive work in the summer transfer window, while improvements to the stadium were praised, along with the club’s new Hummel kits.

   On the 5 Live Sports 72+ podcast, Johnson was asked what he thought of Sunderland in the Championship this season.

   He said: “I’m glad they’re doing well. I feel part of that journey. I’m not saying they’re at the top of the Championship.”

   Johnson added: “A great start as you often see from young teams. I think the challenge for them over the winter months will be to be able to maintain that level of performance.

   “But they look like they’ve got the agility. They look like they’ve got an identity and a style of play, which is good, and a lot of these guys have been together since their League One days.

   “What you know about Sunderland when you start is really, really strong.”

   Sunderland’s Chris Rigg scores the opening goal and then celebrates with his teammates during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sunderland A…

   Sunderland have momentum under Regis Le Bris

   After a 1-0 win against Middlesbrough last weekend, Sunderland are now back on track and it looks like they never lost this game at Plymouth Argyle.

   The wind is back in their sails and they look certain to win away at Watford this weekend.

   As Johnson says, the momentum at such a well-supported club with such high expectations can be really strong.

   But Johnson also makes a good point about the winter months and the general length of the season being a major obstacle for Sunderland.

   With such a young squad with many inexperienced players, the number of games could prove difficult and they could also bounce back from poor form.

   They are going very well at the moment though and another win this weekend would really separate Sunderland from the title contenders.