Friday, 12th September, 2014
Sunderland manager Gus Poyet is aiming to help Sebastian Coates back to the top of his game, after the centre-back joined the Black Cats on loan from Liverpool.
Coates has been snapped up for the season by Poyet, with the defender hoping to clock up regular playing time under his countryman at the Stadium of Light.
Coates suffered a serious injury last year which saw him miss almost the entire season, only returning to action in his homeland on loan at Nacional and then managing to book a spot in the Uruguay squad for the World Cup.
And Poyet is delighted to have signed the defender and believes if he can help Coates get back to his best then Sunderland will be the clear winners.
"When Seb came to England I said that he had all the attributes to be a perfect centre-back, he has the size, the ability, the aggression and the commitment, but sometimes when you go to a club things change very quickly", Poyet told his club's site.
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"That happened at Liverpool with the manager and then he got an injury so he slowly found himself out of the team, but it is a good challenge and we will help each other – we will help him to come back to the international level he was before and he will help us be competitive", he added.
The Sunderland manager also explained that choosing to sign Coates from Liverpool was a straightforward decision, with the two already getting on very well.
"I know Seb very well and it was a very easy decision for me to bring him here, because I can explain things to him in a very easy manor due to the language and the way we lived in Uruguay", Poyet added.
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