The Sunderland Echo was at the Academy of Light as injury updates, Chemsdine Talbi's reaction and Florent Ghisolfi's gesture caught the eye.
Sunderland opened up a first-team training session to the media at the Academy of Light on Wednesday, with the Echo in attendance ahead of the Europa League trip to Portugal.
There was an encouraging double injury boost for Régis Le Bris, several notable absentees and a few interesting moments away from the drills themselves. Here are four things I took from the session.
A double injury boost, but plenty for Le Bris to clarify
The most significant development was the return of Brian Brobbey and Habib Diarra to first-team training following their respective hamstring injuries.
Brobbey suffered his setback while away with the Netherlands in September, while Diarra has also been sidelined for several weeks. Both were involved with the senior group on Wednesday, an encouraging sign given Sunderland's demanding run of fixtures in the Premier League and Europa League.
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That is not the same as confirmation that either will be ready for Thursday's game against Torreense, however. Training involvement is a positive step in a recovery, but Le Bris will have the final say on whether they are ready to return to the matchday squad.
There was less encouraging news elsewhere. Neither Dan Ballard nor Thomas Meunier was spotted during the open session, and both are expected to miss the European fixture. Romaine Mundle was absent too as he continues to work his way back from injury.
Wilson Isidor's absence was perhaps the one that will generate the most questions. The striker has been away with Haiti, for whom he played during the international break, and there has been no confirmed fresh injury concern. He was not visible during Wednesday's session, though that alone does not establish whether he is injured or unavailable for selection. Le Bris is due to speak to the media before the game and can hopefully offer some clarity on Isidor, as well as the extent to which Brobbey and Diarra are ready to be involved.
Jules Ahoka was present after a slightly extended international break. Timur Tutierov, meanwhile, was the only Under-21 player involved with the senior group. The Ukrainian is on Sunderland's Europa League List B, so can be selected in the competition.
Talbi was smiling despite Saturday's frustration
Chemsdine Talbi was another player I kept an eye on, particularly after his lack of involvement during Sunderland's 2-0 defeat to Brighton last Saturday. The winger spent the entire game on the bench, despite Sunderland struggling to make their numerical advantage count after Brighton went down to ten men. It was the sort of afternoon when supporters could reasonably have expected Le Bris to turn to Talbi ahead of Jocelin Ta Bi and Juan Riquelme Angulo.
Talbi certainly did not appear to be carrying that disappointment into training. He looked relaxed and fully involved with the group, and was laughing and joking with Malick Fofana during the session. There is an obvious limit to what can be read into a few minutes of open training. Being in good spirits does not tell us what Talbi thinks about his minutes, or what Le Bris plans to do with him next.
Still, given the discussion around his role and playing time, it was a small but interesting moment to observe. Talbi and Riquelme Angulo were both involved on Wednesday despite not being in Sunderland's Europa League squad.
Ghisolfi made time for everyone
Florent Ghisolfi was also at the Academy of Light, and the Sunderland director of football once again made a positive impression on his way into the session. On arrival, he went around shaking hands with every journalist and camera operator present. It was a simple gesture, but a welcome one, and he then turned his attention to the players rather than disappearing out of view.
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Ghisolfi spoke with members of the first-team group, including Enzo Le Fée, and appeared comfortable in the environment. The players seemed relaxed around him, with a generally light atmosphere during the portion of training the media were allowed to see. It is worth stressing that a director of football attending training is hardly breaking news. Watching sessions and maintaining relationships with players and staff are part of the role.
Nevertheless, with Sunderland having recently made changes at executive level, it was an interesting opportunity to see Ghisolfi interacting with the squad in person. It was an easy-going scene, and one that gave a little insight into the working environment at the club.
Alese's next step could come in January
Away from the first-team group, Aji Alese remains training with Sunderland's Under-21s. The defender has had a difficult time with injuries and, understandably, his immediate priority is to get back to regular football. He was not part of Wednesday's senior session, with his work continuing in the development set-up.
A January loan looks a likely next step as he attempts to restart his career and build up sustained match minutes. That would be an opportunity to play senior football consistently, rather than remain on the fringes of a first-team squad competing on several fronts.
It is a situation worth keeping an eye on as the winter window approaches. Alese has shown what he can offer Sunderland when fit, but after such a disrupted spell he needs games, and the coming months could be important in determining where he gets them.
The Echo’s Europa League coverage is sponsored by Amari Plastics. Covering all of North East England and Cumbria, Amari Plastics launched in 1975 and has built a reputation as the region's leading plastic distributor. During this time, we’ve established strong working relationships with businesses in three main market sectors: sign, display & large format printing, building & construction and industrial & engineering.