Aji Alese looks set to return to centre-back for Sunderland’s opening fixture against Cardiff City.
The 23-year-old began his career in the heart of defence, but has spent most of his time with Sunderland on the left.
Despite spending a majority of his spell on Wearside on the sidelines, Alese has quickly become a favourite and has impressed across his 33 appearances.
Injuries to Dennis Cirkin and Niall Huggins last season allowed Alese to come straight back into the team once he returned to full fitness, while it is another injury that could force him into central defence this weekend.
Dan Ballard has been ruled out for up to six weeks, leaving Sunderland with only Alese, Joe Anderson and Nectarios Triantis as a potential replacement.
The latter two are far from ready for a call-up, so Alese is likely to partner Luke O’Nien on their trip to Cardiff.
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Alese has heaped praise on Mr. Sunderland
O’Nien has been one constant in Sunderland’s backline in recent seasons, and Alese has now admitted he has really helped him out since joining the club in 2022.
When asked how important O’Nien’s experience is by the Sunderland Echo, he said: “We have a young squad so to have Luke next to me with that bit of experience and Championship know-how really helps.
“Having a player next to you talking and guiding you through the game helps massively.”
Sunderland would be in trouble without O’Nien’s character
O’Nien has come under a lot of criticism during his six-year stint at the Stadium of Light, with many fans not believing he is good enough for the team.
However, the 29-year-old remains a favourite of each manager he has worked under and is clearly well loved in the dressing room too.
There is no doubt that O’Nien isn’t the most talented in the squad, but his hard work, experience, leadership and passion is often what pushes him to make such a positive impact.
Without him, Sunderland’s defence would look significantly weaker and they would be really lacking in the personality that he brings.
There is a reason why he has spent so much time with the club and is yet to be replaced, and his importance will continue this term too.
As for Alese, he has the perfect opportunity to steal Ballard’s spot in the line-up. Ballard is comfortably one of the best defenders in the Championship, however Alese has the potential to be just as good.
To have these strong options is great, but Sunderland definitely still need more squad depth in this position.