Timothee Pembele, Aji Alese, and Jay Matete, each played 45 minutes for Sunderland U21s against Arsenal

One of three long-term injured players to return for the U21s under new head coach Michael Beale at Eppleton was Timothee Pembele, who made his debut in a Sunderland shirt. Pembele, a summer transfer from Paris St-Germain, began and participated in the first half of Arsenal’s 2-1 Premier League 2 loss yesterday night.

 

Aji Alese and Jay Matete, meanwhile, made their season debuts by entering the game during the second half as

substitutes. Although playing against a youthful Gunners team, right-back

Pembele looked crisp despite having not played much since coming in the

summer as he began his recovery from a major knee injury sustained in France.

Alese had not played since a thigh injury recurred during Sunderland’s play-off semi-final second leg loss at Luton Town,

and midfielder Matete had not played since undergoing surgery following

damage to his knee cartilage during the team’s preseason trip to the USA. After

being away for such a long time, U21 coach Graeme Murty said Sunderland

had to proceed cautiously with the trio. However, he believes that once they are

fully recovered, they will be a valuable addition to the first team roster.

“The plan was always to give them 45 minutes, always to give them exactly what they needed,” Murty stated. “You have to approach anything like that with extreme caution and care to ensure that the load is managed appropriately.

“The first team personnel has done a great job providing us with detailed

instructions. We know those people because they have occasionally trained

with us, and they always show up with a positive attitude.

 

We are aware that for them, competing and playing for the first team is something they look forward to in the

future; this game was not the end all be all. As long as we can serve as a vehicle

to make that happen, we are willing to do so since we fully support and

acknowledge that this will always be the case.

“It’s great to see those guys back out on the pitch because they add to and

enhance the first team squad and we’re thrilled to get them back throughout

their process because it has been a really long, really challenging, time for them.”

Although Alese and Matete are well-known players, Sunderland supporters were able to witness Pembele’s debut, and he made an impression right away. Murty stated: “As a full-back, you look at his attributes – he is lightning quick, quite a rangy athlete, and possesses really, really good recovery and acceleration speeds. He was on the far side of the pitch to me, so I’m quite cautious about looking at it.”

 

 

“Everything a modern athlete could possibly require is readily available, so we need to make sure we give him the right levels to help him return to his peak physical state. In doing so, he improves the squad and intensifies the rivalry.”

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