Sunderland fans have been left devastated by a fresh injury blow for Aji Alese that has many suggesting the club may need to move on from the defender.
Alese joined the Black Cats from Premier League side West Ham back in the summer of 2022 for an undisclosed fee.
The 23-year-old signed a contract extension with the club last year that secures his future at the club until the end of the 2026/27 season.
But after the latest developments during his side’s FA Cup clash with Stoke City on Saturday (11 January), some Sunderland fans have been left questioning how long they can continue with Alese.
Sunderland defender suffers major injury scare in Stoke City clash
Since making his move to the Black Cats, Alese has been heavily hampered by injuries, making just 46 appearances in all competitions for the club.
The centre-back was handed a rare chance from the start for Sunderland in their third-round meeting with the Potters, but things did not end well for him.
With an hour on the clock, Alese landed awkwardly on the ground and appeared to twist his knee in what was a nasty looking injury.
Indeed, the 23-year-old was then stretchered off to be replaced by young centre-back Zak Johnson as the Potters went on to win 2-1 after extra time.
Taking to social media to react to that blow for Alese, a number of Sunderland fans were left “gutted” for the defender, although others felt that he may now be “done” with the club.
With the club having already added midfielder Enzo Le Fee on loan from Roma in the January transfer window, some now feel signings are needed in defence too after this setback.
