Ian Poveda is sweating on his Sunderland role after Regis Le Bris revealed why the winger was not considered for the 2-0 win over Luton Town.

Poveda, a summer signing from Leeds United after his contract expired, has had a tough start to life on Wearside. The player missed two months with a hamstring injury and then has struggled for rhythm and form on his return.

He was then left out of the squad entirely for the midweek clash at the Stadium of Light. Black Cats’ head coach Le Bris confirmed it was an ‘internal disciplinary’ matter, but it is believed the indiscretion was a minor one and the midfielder should return to the squad for Monday night’s game with his old side Leeds United at Elland Road.

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Poveda is understood to have been late for a team get-together ahead of the game at the Stadium of Light.

As a result, he was left out of the squad, having been a second-half substitute in Saturday’s home draw with Watford, but will return to first-team training ahead of the Leeds game.

“Ian wasn’t available for selection,” Le Bris told reporters. “Ian isn’t injured. He wasn’t available for selection for internal reasons. I don’t have to comment on that reason.

"In the end he wasn’t available. Hopefully, he will be able to return to Monday.”

Poveda came in for some negative comments for his contribution from the bench in the 2-2 draw against Watford at the weekend. Le Bris admitted the player must stay 'humble' as he focused on the positives when it comes to the progress of the wide man and team-mate Salis Abdul Samed, who has also just returned after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

“Ian has good qualities but he’s not played for a long period,” he said. “When he came in against Middlesbrough, he had an opportunity [to score] and this was a good reminder that at this level, we have to be humble because even if you are very talented it is tough to build a good connection.”

“It’s always a question of building different steps. It’s not easy for Salis to find his best rhythm after six months out. He and Ian will need time. It’s a question of building new layers, and to be consistent will take patience. We want to be dominant but it’s never easy to keep this dynamic for a long period.”

Poveda has yet to make a start in the Championship since joining in the summer. He had a two-month spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury from October to December before returning to the squad and was an unused substitute in the games against Norwich and Blackburn last month. However, he then picked up another hamstring injury that kept him out until recent weeks.

The attacker has been dogged by injuries throughout his career. Now 35, he has made less than 75 appearances in a career that has seen him at Manchester City, Barcelona, Leeds and loan spells with Blackburn, Blackpool and Sheffield Wednesday.