Sunderland man pictured in leg brace after latest injury set-back plus expected return to action date

Injured Sunderland man Aji Alese has been pictured on social media sporting a leg brace after the defender’s latest set-back.

Alese picked up an ankle injury during training at the end of August. Initially, head coach Régis Le Bris hoped he may only be ruled out for around a month. However, the full analysis revealed the former West Ham man was set for an extended spell on the sidelines.

Alese, 23, was ruled out for a period of up to 12 weeks on the 31st of August. The defender is expected to return to fitness at the end of November or the beginning of December. Alese also recently shared a photo of himself in a leg brace on the social media platform Instagram as he continues his recovery.

The central defender had made a superb start to the season and Sunderland are hopeful that he will be able to make his return after the November international break. The Black Cats moved quickly on deadline day when they discovered the severity of Alese’s injury, signing Bournemouth defender Chris Mepham on loan for the rest of the campaign.

The Welsh centre-back joined Sunderland on loan during last month’s transfer deadline day and made his first appearance in red and white against Middlesbrough at the Stadium of Light and has since played against Watford, Derby County and Leeds United with the Wearsiders currently top of the league after nine games played.

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The 26-year-old has a promotion from the Championship on his CV with parent club Bournemouth and enjoyed a significant amount of game time with the Cherries in the Premier League before moving to Sunderland to play more regularly.