Sunderland loanee Timothee Pembele was handed his first start in over two months for Le Havre as his side lost 4-2 to Lyon.
Throughout the 2024/25 season, Sunderland have had several players out on loan as they hope to nurture their young talents for the future.
This has seen a catalogue of players shine away from Wearside, including Nectarios Triantis for Hibernian, with the midfielder receiving his first call-up to the Australian national side.
Unfortunately, there have been some players who have struggled away from the Stadium of Light, including Timothee Pembele, who Sunderland hoped would refind his form in his home country for Ligue 1 side Le Havre.
Having not notched a start in over two months, the Frenchman was brought back into the starting 11, with his side losing 4-2 to Lyon, a game that saw Pembele potentially turn around his miserable fortunes in Ligue 1, despite the scoreline.
Sunderland loanee Timothee Pembele may have turn new leaf on return for Le Havre in Lyon defeat
This season, Pembele has notched just nine starts for Le Havre with his penultimate one taking place in a 5-1 defeat to Marseille on the 5th of January.
Having been mainly an unused substitute in recent months, the Black Cats loanee was handed a surprise start last time out where he was used at left-back in a 4-2 defeat, with the Frenchman notching a full 90 minutes.
Unfortunately for Pembele, his side put in a poor defensive display, but the Sunderland loanee was the highest rated of the Le Havre backline, per SofaScore, with him winning the majority of duels on the left flank, and also contributed three clearances and an equal amount of tackles in the game, keeping Lyon right winger Ernest Nuamah relatively quiet until he was replaced.
Timothee Pembele may have turned around Le Havre fortunes with performance
Sunderland loanee Pembele’s stint in Ligue 1 with Le Havre has been incredibly difficult for the 22-year-old, who has often been played out of position just to plug the gaps in defence.
Playing for a side severely struggling in Ligue 1 certainly won’t help with Pembele’s confidence, but he looked to have potentially turned around his fortunes with his performance against Lyon.
Pembele will now be hoping for a run of games to truly get his career back on track, which may not necessarily spark a career at Sunderland but could potentially help the Black Cats in letting the Frenchman go at the end of the season.