Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has issued an update on new signing Ian Poveda’s fitness.
Sunderland have already started their 2024/25 Championship season in positive fashion after an away victory against South Wales outfit Cardiff City, despite striker options looking incredibly light.
Attacker Eliezer Mayenda played a decent part in the victory, despite not being able to get his name on the scoresheet, however it is still evident that the Black Cats must massively bolster their attacking options this summer.
Alexandre Mendy has been the most likely to sign for Sunderland across the past month, however such a deal is still yet to come into fruition.
Aside from poachers, the Sunderland wide options are also not quite up to scratch as a result of the current injury to new signing Ian Poveda, however the winger has been given a positive update by Regis Le Bris.
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Sunderland winger Ian Poveda given positive fitness update
In the press conference looking ahead to Sunderland’s home clash against Sheffield Wednesday, the Black Cat’s boss Le Bris cleared up any uncertainty surrounding the fitness of new signing Poveda, who was brought in following his release from fellow Championship outfit Leeds United.
The winger will not be available to face off against his former side Sheffield Wednesday this weekend, who Le Bris’ side beat to the signature of the Colombian international, however there have been improvements.
Speaking to the press, Le Bris said: “He’s getting better. He’s trained this week with the team in a full training session.
“He’s not ready yet but he’s maybe 80-90% so we want to build with him strong foundations for the whole season, not just being available for 10-20 minutes, we need him for 90 minutes and many games.
“We want to be sure that he will be in the best way to start with us.”
Ian Poveda’s return to the pitch will be worth the wait, providing he keeps fit
Poveda’s limited time at Sheffield Wednesday last season in a loan spell showcased, albeit in a short dosage, the true qualities that the winger is able to bring to a Championship side, even if he isn’t getting his name on the scoresheet.
The attacker could play a crucial role in adding an extra dimension to the Le Bris’ strikeforce, and there is every possibility that, providing he can keep fit, he can live up to the high winger standards set by the likes of Jack Clarke.
It seems that Sunderland have approached the winger correctly with caution and the awareness to not aggravate or test Poveda in terms of fitness, as once he does come back he can easily play a crucial role, and there is no need to rush that process.