Régis Le Bris explains Sunderland's stance on signing another defender after Aji Alese update
Sunderland are expecting to be without defender Aji Alese for an extended period due to injury
Régis Le Bris says he does not yet know the full extent of Aji Alese’s knee injury but has confirmed that he expects to be without the versatile defender for a ‘long’ period of time.
Alese suffered an injury during the 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Stoke City last weekend and Le Bris confirmed that the issue required surgery. Sunderland need to see the results of that surgery before they can make an accurate prognosis but it is clear that the 23-year-old has suffered a significant injury, a major setback for the youngster.
"I don't have a full update,” Le Bris said at his pre-match press conference.
“We have to wait for the surgery and the results after, but it should be a long time [he will be out].”
Dennis Cirkin will almost certainly take Alese’s place in the starting XI when the Black Cats face Burnley on Friday night but the developments will likely mean Leo Hjelde earns more minutes on the pitch in the medium term, whether that be at left back or in the heart of defence. Le Bris said he had no concerns about the Norwegian defender’s ability to step in.
“Football is like that, sometimes you have to wait for an opportunity and to be fair, Leo has done very well so far,” Le Bris said.
“He was always connected with the team, trained properly, and he is a good player. So now it could be an option for us, yes for sure.”
While Le Bris knows that Alese’s injury leaves him short of some very valuable versatility across the back four, he has hinted that he does not expect Sunderland to go back into the transfer market this month. However, he has added that the club will likely be forced to if they pick up another injury.
“It was a part of the squad where we felt comfortable.” Le Bris said.
“But with one less player, probably for a couple of months or so, it will be more difficult. It’s still a question of balance and opportunities though. At the moment, I think we have six good players (in defence) ready to play. That is a good situation, but it is probably the limit. With one less, it would be a problem, so we will see what happens and then we will decide.”
Young defender Zak Johnson was allowed to depart on loan earlier this week, joining League Two side Notts County until the end of the season.