Sources: 'Very ambitious' Sunderland board putting pressure on Regis Le Bris

Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris "knows" that he needs to turn his team's fortunes around "quickly" in the coming weeks, sources have told Football Insider.

The Frenchman is under pressure at the Stadium of Light, with the club hierarchy pushing him to find a balance between the Premier League and the Europa League campaigns.

The Black Cats' board are said to be "very ambitious" with their plans for this season, and do not want to be involved in the relegation fight at all.

However, sources say that Le Bris still has enough "credit in the bank" to avoid any genuine pressure of being sacked at this stage.

Sunderland have also faced key injuries to the likes of Brian Brobbey and Dan Ballard of late, which has also been taken into consideration by the club.

The North East outfit have now lost their last four games in the Premier League, and Sunday's defeat at Bournemouth dropped them into the relegation zone.

Sunderland not bouncing back from Thursday assignments

Sunderland's form in the early stages of their Europa League campaign has provided a stark contrast to their fortunes in the league so far.

Le Bris' men needed a stoppage-time winner from Noah Sadiki to secure three points against Portuguese second-tier side Torreense, but in doing so, ensured that they retained their 100 per cent record in European action.

However, it is the aftermath of those games that has provided the most obvious difficulties for Sunderland in recent weeks.

The Thursday to Sunday schedule that comes with a Europa League campaign can be notoriously difficult for clubs to handle, and the Black Cats have fallen victim to that so far.

Sunderland have been beaten in each of the two Premier League games that have followed continental assignments in recent weeks, and that is an issue that needs to be solved.

They still have six more Europa League fixtures during the league phase, and if that trend continues, then it is sure to have damaging effects on their Premier League position.

Europa League could 'save job' for Regis Le Bris

Former Sunderland chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider last week that an impressive Europa League run has the potential to "save Le Bris' job" at the Stadium of Light.

The ex-recruitment man feels that the European adventure could potentially distract from any issues that emerge domestically moving forward.

However, Brown has no doubt that Le Bris' position isn't totally secure at the moment, and feels that the club hierarchy actually expected more last term after a bright start.

The club are not panicking over their situation just yet, but that could easily change if results don't improve soon.