Sunderland defender Arbenit Xhemajli has endured an injury-hit stint at the Stadium of Light since joining back in 2020.
The 23-year-old joined Sunderland in the summer of 2020, with the Black Cats only paying a compensation fee to bring him over to Wearside following his departure from Swiss side Neuchatel Xamax.
It was an intriguing deal that caught the eye, but Xhemajli has been unable to make an impact at the Stadium of Light.
He made one appearance in the 2020/21 campaign, playing 90 minutes in an 8-1 EFL Trophy win over Aston Villa’s U21s but has not featured since.
Xhemajli suffered major damage to his knee ligaments in the early stages of the campaign and after a lengthy recovery and some setbacks, it seems as though he is closing in on a return to action.
The Kosovan-born centre-back has been back in training recently and even played 45 minutes for the Black Cats’ U23s against Leeds United at the weekend. Now, ahead of Sunderland’s EFL Trophy tie against Manchester United’s youngsters, Xhemajli will be assessed to see if he can pick up more minutes in that tie.
The latest update emerged from the Sunderland Echo, stating that the League One side hope the centre-back will have a role to play this season.
With a return to action for the first-team hopefully not too far around the corner, it will be hoped that Arbenit Xhemajli can get through scot-free and have an impact on Lee Johnson’s side this season.
Sunderland are determined to win promotion back to the Championship and Xhemajli could become a firm favourite if he can help the club in their push to get out of League One.
