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Illan Meslier’s costly error allowed Regis Le Bris’ men to continue their unbeaten opening to the season on home soil, and has subsequently dominated headlines since yesterday evening. But while attention has understandably been drawn to the Frenchman’s howler, there’s plenty of other stuff going on around Wearside too.

With that in mind, here are a couple of the stories you might have missed in the hectic aftermath of Friday’s sharing of the spoils...

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Chris Rigg continued his stellar start to the season with another goal on Friday, opening the scoring against Leeds United to notch his second of the campaign. And given his eye-catching form, it is little surprise to see a number of high-profile clubs linked with prospective swoops for the teenager.

The likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid have all been mentioned already, and now journalist David Lynch has weighed in to reiterate Liverpool’s admiration for the starlet. Speaking to the Anfield Agenda, he said: “Chris Rigg 100% will be someone Liverpool are tracking. I’ve heard that name from sources relatively recently over the past couple of years really. He was so highly-rated before he made his breakthrough at Sunderland. Everybody who watched any youth football was aware that this kid was going to be absolutely massive.”

Elsewhere, Regis Le Bris has expressed his hope that Sunderland will be able to welcome a number of first team players back to the fold following the current international break. The Black Cats were without Dan Ballard and Eliezer Mayenda against Leeds, while new arrivals Aaron Connolly and Milan Aleksic were unused substitutes at the Stadium of Light.

But speaking after the game, Le Bris provided an update on when supporters can expect to see those players back in action. He said: “They now have time to develop and get ready to perform.

“With Aaron, we didn’t want to rush the process. He was on the bench, and we thought that maybe by being there, he could be useful for the team. But it was too high risk because he probably needs to play for 45 minutes with the U21s. Then after that, maybe 60 minutes or 65 in the next game.

“For Milan, that is really the case as well. Hopefully, he will be playing with his national team and that will give him time to develop and grow. He also needs to find a link with the team here because it is a new experience and hopefully we will have two, three, or four more players back for the team soon. That will be important for the squad.”

Summer signing Salis Abdul Samed, however, is not expected to be ready in time for Sunderland’s next game, a trip to Hull City on October 20th.