REGIS LE BRIS has confirmed Aji Alese will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a fracture in his leg.

Alese was stretchered off during this month’s FA Cup defeat to Stoke City after suffering a serious leg issue.

The defender underwent a series of scans that revealed a leg fracture, and he has undergone an operation to address the damage.

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He will not be available for the remainder of the season, but should be able to return for the start of pre-season training in the summer.

“He (Alese) will miss the remainder of the season,” confirmed Le Bris. “We will see him again in pre-season. He has a broken leg. There was also a hand injury, but that bone is not broken. Both needed surgery.”

In the immediate aftermath of Alese’s injury, Le Bris admitted Sunderland were “at the limit” of their defensive resources, and he also spoke of the potential need for a defensive addition this month when Chris Mepham suffered an injury scare in the latter stages of the draw at Burnley.

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Mepham emerged unscathed from Turf Moor, and proved his wellbeing with a commanding performance in Tuesday’s win at Derby County, and Jenson Seelt is also now back part of the equation after playing in the opening 45 minutes of last night’s Under-21s win over Benfica in the International Cup.

Seelt will need another few weeks to get back to full fitness after missing more than ten months because of a cruciate-ligament injury, but the Dutchman will offer some welcome defensive competition once he is back up to full speed.

As a result, Le Bris does not regard defence as a priority position as he ponders his options for the final week-and-a-half of the transfer window.

“Jenson will need some weeks more before he is ready and at his best level,” said the Sunderland boss. “But now, if we are lucky without any other injuries, we are in a good place with our defenders.

“We would have seven defenders for four positions, and they are players that I like. Some of them are versatile, and all of them are really involved in every training session, whether they play or don’t play. The team spirit in this part of the pitch is very good”