Sunderland’s squad were back at the Academy of Light for pre-season training this week – with several players returning from loan spells at other clubs.
Here are the senior players who have returned to Wearside this summer and how they fared during their time away.
The plan was always for Bennette to return to Sunderland for pre-season, with two years left on his Black Cats contract – including a club option of an extra year.
Bennette’s spell at Greek side Aris FC was a challenging one, though, with the 19-year-old making just two league appearances before suffering a muscle injury, meaning his loan deal ended early.
With Jack Clarke, Patrick Roberts, Chris Rigg, Abdoullah Ba and Romaine Mundle all seemingly ahead of him, Bennette will face a difficult task to break into Sunderland’s first team and may have to consider his options if opportunities don’t arrive.
Nectarios Triantis (Hibernian)
After making just two Championship appearances for Sunderland in the first half of the 2023/24 season, the Australian impressed at SPL side Hibernian.
