REGIS LE BRIS has hinted that he will keeping his changes to a minimum when Sunderland head to Luton Town tonight.

Having returned to the top of the table when they won at Hull on Sunday, the Black Cats are back in action this evening when they head to Kenilworth Road.

They host Oxford at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, and while next week is a free midweek, the following weekend’s trip to QPR precedes a Wednesday night game with Preston at Deepdale.

Some managers would feel compelled to make wholesale changes in order to limit their players’ workload, but Le Bris is reluctant to make that move, partly because he is still trying to instil his ideas and principles into his first-choice XI and partly because a number of those currently filling the substitutes’ bench are not really ready for regular Championship action.

“There are two things to discuss about that,” said Le Bris, whose side currently have exactly the same points, goal difference and goals scored and conceded as Leeds United after the Elland Road club beat Watford 2-1 last night.

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“The first is that, if we want to implement a new set of ideas, then if we are changing players all the time, it is more difficult.

“The second thing is that the core of the team is well defined. We have many types of players here at the club, but not all of them are ready yet.

“Some of them are ready to play, but some still need to wait. They need to keep doing well in the training sessions, then maybe play ten minutes or so, and then they will be involved further down the line.”

Of the players that filled the substitutes’ bench for Sunday’s game at Hull, Simon Moore, Alan Browne and Aaron Connolly are undoubtedly ready to step into the starting side if needed. Dan Ballard and Eliezer Mayenda should also be returning from injury in the next couple of weeks.

The status of Adil Aouchiche and Nazariy Rusyn is less certain given that they looked like leaving for much of the summer, while Zak Johnson, Milan Aleksic and Tommy Watson are likely to be the players that Le Bris does not yet feel are ready for regular senior game time.

“I think the balance is good at the minute, so it’s easy to choose the starting XI,” he explained. “I have two or three options, maybe four, who are ready to play instead of the others.

“Then there are a few who are a little but further away. Not too far, but it will maybe be six months or a year before they are really ready to be available.”