Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce is delighted with the impact of January signing Lamine Kone.

The powerful centre-back has been a revelation since joining from Lorient.

"You see (Jan) Kirchhoff on the ball a huge amount of times intercepting and playing those passes which he can make," said Black Cats boss Allardyce.

“He protects the back four with his reading of the game, which makes him stand out a little bit more.

“But for the trained eye, when you see how Lamine handles the off-the-ball situations and the opposition centre-forward, he makes the game look so simple."