REGIS Le Bris has lifted the lid on his crucial behind the scenes discussions with Jobe Bellingham that paved the way for the teenager to score successive winners for Sunderland.

Bellingham only scored twice in his first 17 Championship outings this season but came to Sunderland's rescue against Swansea and Norwich with second half winners.

Adding more goals to his game is something Bellingham was keen to do, which prompted Le Bris to make a minor positional tweak that has instantly paid off.

"It was clear in his mind, I don't have to say to Jobe you can score, it was just a question of position," said Sunderland's head coach.

"We've talked a lot about his position on the pitch. If he can manage different situations he can be involved in the build-up, the high pressure and the low pressure. But if he wants to affect the score his position had to be a bit higher up the pitch and we've spoken a lot about the position of our eights. Especially for Jobe.

"Out of possession he plays as a six so it's not always easy to find the right balance with the offensive part of the game. He played there during the first game of the season, higher up the pitch, then he played as a midfielder.

"Now it's just a question of adjustment and he learns so very quickly."

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For coaches, identifying a required tactical adjustment, but getting the message over to the players is another. But Le Bris wasn't at all surprised that Bellingham instantly took their discussions on board and got his immediate rewards.

He said: "Good players are always challenging. It's very positive for a coach because they are ambitious and show this every day on the pitch.

"If the players and staff are like that, we're on the same page. We want to learn and improve ourselves.

"We know we have to be very clear with him and the feedback has to be accurate because he can understand very quickly if it's true and real or not. It's a gift to have these kinds of players.

"We have many different players. The squad is very exciting to manage because we have different profiles.

"With the young ones or older ones, they are different but the mentality and character is very positive.

"We can manage many situations without avoiding subjects. We can be very clear so it's a very positive environment to learn."