Sunderland boss gives update on Arbenit Xhemajli's injury comeback and the next steps for defender

Xhemajli has now made three appearances for the U23s after more than a year on the sidelines with a major knee ligament injury.

His encouraging progress was underlined on Wednesday night when he completed 90 minutes for the first time in the club’s 5-2 win over South Shields in the Durham Challenge Cup.

The Kosovan will not be accelerated into first-team action as Johnson says it remains vitally important he builds more strength in his knee.

He is also keen to ensure that the 23-year-old has ample time to settle back into regular football before exposing him to the high pressure environment of competitive senior games.

“The next step for him now as far as I'm concerned is for him to really build strength around the knee,” Johnson said.

“You can see at times when he opens up in his stride, he's very athletic and he's got a nice stride pattern, he's in great shape in terms of his upper body.

“He just needs a continuum of match minutes.

“I'd like for him to be able to drop his centre of gravity an inch or two when he's on the ball as well, and again that all comes down the strength and stability that he has around that knee.

“He's done so well, and he should be really pleased with himself.

“The medical staff have been outstanding on that one and together they deserve a lot of credit.

“I've said before that I won't judge him properly until January, if everything stays consistent as it is.

“I want to give him the time to be able to make mistakes, to miss a day of training etc. Just not to be on the hamster wheel of first-team football which requires you to win every single game.”

Sunderland’s U23s are next in action at Reading on Monday evening, a game for which Benji Kimpioka could also be available following his return from a loan spell at Southend United.

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