Tony Mowbray has explained his plan for Aji Alese as the Sunderland defender looks to take the final step in his return to action.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference (as per Sunderland Echo), Mowbray admitted that the 22-year-old was ‘not too far away’.
Aji Alese became a fan favourite last season as he made 21 appearances in the Championship, with his versatility coming in handy as he played in both the centre and left-side of defence.
The West Ham academy graduate was set to play a key role in the final stages of the 2022/23 campaign, as Sunderland pushed for a place in the play-offs.
However, Alese was sidelined with a thigh injury at the start of March that kept him out until the defeat to Luton Town in the play-off second leg. The defender then suffered a recurrence of the same problem and has been out of action ever since.
The return of Alese has long been a topic of conversation, but Mowbray has confirmed that he is now on the pitch and is ‘not too far’ from returning to Championship football.
“With Aji, we’ve put him with the U21s for a week or so, just so that he can build up in terms of the intensity,” Mowbray said.
“He’s been out for a long time so we have to be careful putting him back into first-time training. He’ll train with the U21s for a little while so he can work his way in and build himself up.
“Then in a week or so when he feels really confident and comfortable, he’ll come back and train with us. So he’s not too far away.”
Can Aji Alese establish himself as a regular at Sunderland again?
Aji Alese’s move to Sunderland left us fans absolutely baffled as to why West Ham would let such a talented player go.
The 22-year-old was exceptional last season, and if fit, he could have arguably been the Black Cats’ first-choice left-back this season.
Even though everyone rates him so highly, his absence has arguably made us actually forget just how good he is.
Alese’s return will be so important to Tony Mowbray, especially given the lack of depth and experience in the central position. His versatility is extremely useful and it would be a huge surprise if he doesn’t manage to force his way into the starting line-up somewhere in the backline.
The defender is likely to return at the perfect time too, with Alese hopefully making his comeback in time for a large number of packed-in games during the Christmas period. I think we can definitely expect him to shine over winter.