Forgotten former Portsmouth loanee braced for Sunderland exit after brutal omission
Aji Alese registered just four minutes of match action during a disastrous loan stay at Pompey last season.
Forgotten former Pompey loanee Aji Alese looks poised to depart Sunderland this summer.
The centre-back, of course, endured a disastrous stint on the south coast during the second half of the campaign following his January arrival.
His setback curtailed his brief Fratton Park stay and promptly returned to the Stadium of Light to undergo treatment.
Former Pompey loanee set for Sunderland exit after brutal omission
Now back to full fitness, the ex-West Ham man’s future now appears to be lying away from Wearside.
Despite registering a 45-minute outing in a pre-season friendly against League Two York City last Saturday - his first appearance since his injury blow at Deepdale for the Blues - the defender has since been left out of the Black Cats’ 26-man squad, which will tour the United States.
The travelling party is a heavily-weakened side given a number of World Cup involvements for several members of Regis Le Bris’ first-team set-up.
Plenty of fringe players and academy players have jetted off across the Atlantic, where they’ll play Leeds United, Liverpool and Wrexham during their 12-day camp.
The Sunderland Echo have revealed Alese has indeed remained in the north east to continue his own pre-season training program.
Given his omission, the former England youth international doesn’t appear to be in Le Bris’ Premier League plans next season and is expected to be free to depart the Stadium of Light.
After arriving from West Ham in 2022, the London-born talent has featured just 46 times for Sunderland in what has proved to be an injury-ravaged four-year stay.
Prior to his Fratton Park blow, Alese suffered thigh, ankle and shoulder issues as well as a broken leg during his time with the Black Cats.
Alese is now entering the final 12 months of his current deal at the Stadium of Light, having penned a fresh extension in 2024.
Aji Alese’s disastrous Pompey loan
Having failed to feature for the Black Cats during the first half of the campaign, the switch to PO4 represented a fresh start for Alese, who was hoping to put his injury woes to bed.
Despite being an unused substitute in a 3-0 win over West Brom in January, the Sunderland loanee came off the bench in the closing stages of February’s 1-1 draw with Preston.
However, during his four-minute cameo at Deepdale, Alese tore his quad which brought an abrupt end to his Fratton Park stay.
That would prove to be the defender’s only involvement on the south coast and subsequently returned to the north east to receive treatment.