Aji Alese is unlikely to be back in contention for Sunderland until after March’s international break with the defender yet to return to training following an injury picked up last month.
Sunderland head coach Michael Beale is anticipating being without Alese for another month with the defender still struggling with an injury picked up following the defeat to Ipswich Town at Portman Road in January.
The 23-year-old returned to Sunderland’s starting line-up on New Year’s Day in the 2-0 win over Preston North End and went on to complete back-to-back 90 minutes against Newcastle United in the FA Cup third round and Ipswich before Beale confirmed the former West Ham United academy defender had suffered another setback.
Alese signed a three-year deal at the Stadium of Light in the summer of 2022 but availability has been a concern for Sunderland for the most part of the last year after the defender was brought back ahead of schedule for the club’s play-off semi-final second leg tie with Luton Town at the end of last season. Alese had been struggling with a thigh problem since March but came off the bench for the final 30 minutes as Tony Mowbray’s side chased an equaliser at Kenilworth Road in a decision which would ultimately cause the defender to suffer further problems with the injury.
Alese missed Sunderland’s pre-season and the start to the 2023-24 Championship campaign before returning to training before Christmas. Alese’s return to training was a timely boost after the season-ending injury picked up by Niall Huggins in December and the hamstring setback suffered by Dennis Cirkin, who is set to be out until April.
Sunderland’s lack of options at left-back meant Alese’s return was heavily overloaded as he now looks set to be out until March with Beale confirming to We Are Sunderland the club will target the upcoming international break following Sunderland’s Championship fixture with Queen’s Park Rangers at the Stadium of Light on March 16 as a possible opportunity to integrate the 23-year-old back into the squad.
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“He’s still not out [training] at the moment. I think they were earmarking around the international break, but it’s touch and go,” Beale confirmed.
“I think for players like Aji and Dennis [Cirkin], they’ve been missing for too long, haven’t they? And that’s through no fault of their own because they’ve picked up injuries playing in games or trying to get them fit to play. They’re two players who we haven’t spoken about until this point – but they would be hugely important to a Sunderland team in terms of the quality they bring.
“When those two do get back it’s important they stay fitter for longer because it might be in this season that they’re playing less than 10 per cent of the games – they’re big losses for us.”
Fortunately for Beale, the club were able to conduct the January transfer business of Leo Hjelde from Leeds United with the 20-year-old joining on a permanent deal from Elland Road. Hjelde made his Sunderland debut in the 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough earlier this month before completing his home debut in the win over Plymouth Argyle in what has largely been considered to be a positive start to life on Wearside for the Norwegian under-21 international.
Hjelde’s arrival has provided balance to Beale’s squad in having a natural left-footed player at left-back, with Trai Hume moving back over to his more natural right-back position. But Beale knows he will have a selection dilemma on his hands when the likes of Alese, Cirkin and Huggins return to full fitness over the course of the next year, with the Sunderland head coach again suggesting it may lend itself to a change in formation moving forward.
“Having a left-footed defender is massive,” he told We Are Sunderland. “Everyone is searching for them and we’ve got three outstanding ones in Dennis and Aji and then young Leo. We have a really interesting scenario then where a back three could be an interesting formation to use at certain times to enable us to play as a 3-4-3 and with two wingers and a back three supporting and sliding across.
“They’re things for later in the season, and the international break will be a good period for us at work because it will be a period where we get a break. Until then it’s about trying to get the best out of this team and what they know at the moment and I think we’ve done okay in the last couple of games. But certainly when those three guys are available, they’re going to push the life out of each other, aren’t they? So I’m expecting their levels to go up again.”
Sunderland head coach Beale is hoping to be boosted by the return of January signing Callum Styles who has now joined training with the first team after struggling with appendicitis prior to his move from Barnsley last month with the 23-year-old set for a potential debut at Birmingham on Saturday.
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