Samed arrived with a considerable reputation when he joined the Black Cats last summer, having previously played in the Champions League and Ligue 1 with Lens and won 19 senior international caps with Ghana.
However, the 24-year-old suffered a recurrence of a muscular injury shortly after completing his move to Wearside and was sidelined for around six months as he was forced to undergo a lengthy rehabilitation period.
He made a belated Sunderland debut as a substitute in January’s FA Cup defeat to Stoke City, committing an error as the Potters claimed an extra-time winner, and has subsequently made a further six appearances, two as a starter and four as a substitute.
He is yet to really catch the eye in a red-and-white shirt, and while Le Bris expects him to an important performer in the final two-and-a-half months of the season, he also concedes that the midfielder is still striving for his best form.
“He is not at his best, for sure,” admitted Le Bris. “I am sure, after six months out, it is still difficult for him to find the right confidence, the right references and feel good with the rest of the team.
“I hope he will build these layers progressively, but at the same time, with other players coming back, the competition in midfield will now be higher. That is good for the team, and should also be good for Salis too. It should help him to find his best level.”
Samed was signed primarily as a defensive midfielder, and most of his Sunderland appearances have come in a deep-lying central-midfield role in front of the back four.
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He was asked to do something different when he came on at Leeds United on Monday night, with Le Bris stationing him in a more advanced midfield role after he replaced Chris Rigg in the 76th minute.
Samed didn’t look particularly comfortable playing higher up the field, and was unable to halt the flow of Leeds attacks that eventually culminated in the home side’s 95th-minute winner, but Le Bris insists there was a clear thought process behind the decision to move the Ghanaian away from his more usual position.
“When he came on at Leeds, he played as a midfielder,” said Le Bris. “When we were out of possession, it was a 4-4-2 and he played as a central striker, but when we were in possession, it was a 4-3-3 so he was playing as more of a number eight.
“For that game, it was useful to have a player ready to run and press, and he has this profile. At the same time, after six months off the pitch because he was injured, he still needs time to improve and find his best level. With more experiences, he will get back into that shape.”
While Le Bris brought on Samed on Monday night, he opted to keep Chris Mepham and Leo Hjelde on the bench even though his side was coming under an increased amount of pressure in the second half.
The Black Cats boss understands why some fans have questioned his decision-making, but claims he did not feel his team needed a defensive reinforcement as Leeds piled on the pressure at Elland Road.
Instead, he felt they were desperate for an ‘out-ball’, or a way of getting up the pitch, hence his decision to bring on Eliezer Mayenda and field Samed in a somewhat unusual role.
“After the analysis, that was our feeling on the bench,” said Le Bris. “It was really clear that it wasn’t a defensive issue – we were searching for a way to escape the pressure. So, you can just wait until the last minute, but at the same time, you can find a solution.
“It wasn’t a defensive problem because we were really good, and I think our back four was good. The way we defended in our defensive shape was really impressive.
“So, it wasn’t the defensive issue, it was more, ‘How we can break their dynamic, how can we find a solution to build under pressure?’ But they were impressive. Sometimes, you just have to admit that they were good.”
