Tony Mowbray calms Aji Alese injury fears and praises Sunderland defensive stars

Tony Mowbray says Aji Alese has not suffered a fresh injury despite his half-time withdrawal in the FA Cup tie at Fulham.

Left-back has been a problem area for Sunderland all season with Alese, Dennis Cirkin and Niall Huggins all struggling with injury problems at various times.

It was Huggins who replaced Alese at half-time in the 1-1 draw, but Mowbray says that was actually already decided ahead of kick-off.

“We planned to change the left-back at half time,” Mowbray explained after the game.

“There's nothing wrong with anything of them. But having missed so much of the season, they're struggling to get 90 minutes, so we decided we'd play them 45 minutes each. They both did exceptionally well.”

Sunderland put on a fine defensive performance against Premier League opposition, with goalkeeper Anthony Patterson earning special praise from Mowbray.

He, though, said his defenders are all so good that he is no longer surprised when he sees them excel.

“I expect that of them now” he said. “They have shown me how good they are. They've got natural defensive instincts.

“Danny Batth needs mentioning. An experienced player - an old head amongst a team of kids that can calm them down and put them in the right position with his voice.

“[He’s] really experienced and I thought they all played really well today. Trai Hume is a revelation to be honest, with what he brings to this team.”

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