Le Bris on 'special' European return, picking his strongest side and Alkmaar

Sunderland boss Regis le Bris has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Europa League opener against Dutch Eredivise side AZ Alkmaar at the Stadium of Light (20:00 BST). Here are the key lines from his news conference: Le Bris was first asked about Sunderland's rise from League One five years ago to a first European campaign in 53 years: "I'm proud to be part of bringing Sunderland back to European competition. It's a privilege and shows the momentum of the club. We are progressing step by step and it's very positive for our fans and our community. It's a special moment." On Trai Hume and Luke O'Nien benig players from the club's League One days: "It shows they are really well connected with the identity of club. We are talking about the key values and key pillars, but also behaviours. You want to get better. You can start maybe from a lower level, but if you get better, you want to improve every day, you can reach something impressive - like this." Asked about the European experience within his squad, Le Bris said: "We have many players with great experience in Europe. It's another competition, but we are talking about football. Same standards, same identity, different opponents, and it's a game of football. We want to win." On how his side reacted to Saturday's home defeat by Arsenal : "They were disappointed, first of all, after the game. You will always need 24 hours, 48 hours to digest and then reset and go again. The players were really well connected, they switched on now and this competition helps." On his side's European opener falling between league games against the top two Arsenal and Manchester City : "We want to go strong in both competitions - it's important for our fans and for the club. The depth of the squad is getting better as well. The players are looking forward to these kinds of fixtures - it's really obvious. The energy will be strong." On whether he can afford to play his strongest side in Europe alongside the demands of the Premier League: "It's still early in the season and the players are fresh. They want to play in this competition and be involved in something new for the club, and European competition is really interesting that way. We'll need more than 11 players to be competitive in both competitions, but it's still possible to go strong." Reflecting on his own journey to the top, Le Bris said: "Life is unpredictable, but when you want to get better as a manager, as a young coach, you can create your own way and sometimes it's surprising. I wanted to train abroad, especially in England, so it was clear in my mind, but you never know the way to reach this objective. I'm really proud to be here now and I'm looking forward to it." On opponents Alkmaar: "We observed this league for different reasons. The market is really interesting and the style of play as well. We will discover a new team in a new competition and we expect a tight game." Hit play above to hear more from Le Bris or listen on BBC Sounds here Got a question about Sunderland? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts [BBC]