Regis Le Bris spoke to BBC Radio Newcastle about Sunderland's pre-season match against South Shields: "It is good to win, but today was more about reconnecting with competitive games.
"[Working with the new signings] is a work in progress. We had to reinforce the squad because the next step is massive. Only one played today, but in the next weeks there will be progressively more on the pitch. We have to build the connection and physical condition."
Le Bris says Abdoullah Ba, Nazariy Rusyn and Ian Poveda are all available to leave the club.
A number of other players must prove themselves in the coming weeks.
When asked about the futures of players like Niall Huggins, Nectarios Triantis and Ahmed Abdullahi: "We will see for every player. I told them that the first two weeks are dedicated for the reconnection. After that, we will have to be clear about different pathways – if some of them need game time and it is not possible here then it is not necessary to stay here."
Listen to Le Bris speak with reporters, external
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Sunderland news: Regis Le Bris on pre-season and transfers – BBC
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