Sunderland have confirmed that Timothee Pembele won’t join full training for at least a month.
The club have released a statement today, revealing that the defender is undergoing a personal maintenance programme following a long-term injury setback.
Pembele joined Sunderand from Paris Saint-Germain on transfer deadline day, signing a five-year deal as he linked up with fellow summer signing Adil Aouchiche.
The 21-year-old made his senior debut for PSG in November 2020 and has since made nine appearances in Ligue 1, however a long-term injury halted his progress.
Pembele suffered an ACL injury in April 2022 and spent nine months on the sidelines before returning to action earlier this year. However, the right-back is yet to fully recover and hasn’t made a competitive appearance since March.
Sunderland’s statement reads: “[Pembele] is currently undergoing a personal maintenance programme alongside the Club’s performance team, having returned to action earlier this year following a long-term injury.
“Pembélé’s last competitive outing came in March, with his schedule set to build over the next month as he transitions to full training and first-team action.”
This means that Pembele is likely to be out until mid-October at the earliest and could potentially make his debut after the next international break.
Sunderland have to be ‘patient’ with Timothee Pembele
Following his arrival on Wearside this month, Kristjaan Speakman said: “Timothee possesses a range of attributes that we wanted to add to our squad this summer, which will build depth and add competition within the group.
“The fact he has chosen to commit his long-term future to our club is a testament to our continued progress and we look forward to helping him settle into life at Sunderland AFC.
“We will be patient with him as he builds his fitness and then competes for a place in our team, but we are delighted to welcome Timothee to Wearside and believe he can become an important player for us.”