Sunderland are weighing up their next move over Papy Djilobodji after the previously AWOL defender finally returned to training on Wednesday.
Djilobodji and team-mate Didier Ndong both failed to turn up to pre-season training following the club's relegation to League One.
Furious Sunderland chiefs refused to pay Djilobodji, who earns a weekly salary of around £33,000, and Ndong during their absence and are now contemplating their next step after the centre-back returned to the club.
Djilobodji took part in training at Sunderland's Academy of Light base with the rest of his team-mates ahead of Saturday's home clash with Fleetwood Town.
An £8m signing from Chelsea, the 29-year-old spent last season on loan at Ligue 1 side Dijon, where he made 30 appearances.
But after failing secure a permanent transfer away from Wearside this summer, Djilobodji had been expected to fight for a place in new manager Jack Ross' squad.
In his absence, Sunderland have made a strong start to the campaign, winning four and drawing two of their first six games.
They play Fleetwood on Saturday at home before a trip to Burton Albion the following weekend.
Sampsons
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Maybe what the West Ham guy said was right.
LoveKun
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All the talented young English youngsters who don't get a chance should be a first loan choice for big clubs like sunderland
Eddrew
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What a poorly run club, been fleeced by the likes of him and Rodwell
KAUST
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I am embarrassed as a Chelsea fan that we even purchased this guy.
Balemardid
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Breach of contract cancel it but you won't because they will go free. However sack them and retain registrations that means no jobs.
Savannah
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It just shows how out of step football is when this can happen while supporters everywhere are bled dry at every opportunity.
GERFootball
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Surely terminate his contract No room for bad apples
juggernaut
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Too much player power. Clubs should refuse to pay wages, as well as fine players who decide not to show up for training.
oJames
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Jose got this dud for Chelsea, he could as well use him at United
Barrette
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Is this the guy that said he should be playing in chelsea defence
landrover
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No club should ever pay these lads a penny ever again
Lorraine
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Criminal that they are paying reserve players £33,000 a week when my second team Rochdale's entire wage budget is less than £40,000 a month!
Postman
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They were probably sad he came back. Would have been delighted not to pay him
Bobraper
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sue him for his full contract, make him pay every penny he got and will get, and then some. sick of footballers treating fans like dirt
NOher
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DM cutting and pasting from out media outlets without first checking. He's not been AWOL for 72 days, it's around 33. He was unpaid leave untill the start of August. And yes, he should be sacked.
Dianaa
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It's so crazy to even imagine that this guy was once at Chelsea, even crazier that they sold him at a profit
Gerrezim
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hey guys, lets not go to work for 72 days. Unless you are a policy officer in some local government department or an art historian, people would soon notice us missing and we'd soon be sacked.
Newmannel
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Criminal that they are paying reserve players £33,000 a week when my second team Rochdale's entire wage budget is less than £40,000 a month!
Underworld
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They were probably sad he came back. Would have been delighted not to pay him
Foliage
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sue him for his full contract, make him pay every penny he got and will get, and then some. sick of footballers treating fans like dirt
Brandonjick
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DM cutting and pasting from out media outlets without first checking. He's not been AWOL for 72 days, it's around 33. He was unpaid leave untill the start of August. And yes, he should be sacked.
ballstar
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It's so crazy to even imagine that this guy was once at Chelsea, even crazier that they sold him at a profit
bulemooe
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hey guys, lets not go to work for 72 days. Unless you are a policy officer in some local government department or an art historian, people would soon notice us missing and we'd soon be sacked.
loosen
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If I didn't turn up for work like that I would be sacked !!!! Simple!!!!!! Their sell on value would be zero!!! But that's what they may be hoping for , a nice signing on fee with a new club & no fee for Sunlan!!! FA should step in with a five year ban from football.!!! But terrible management by short, Bain & co.!!!!!!
Cooper5
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Who on the board was at fault for signing these players on crazy contracts? Has he/she gone?
hero666
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Total lack of respect for everyone
flyboat
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Should be banned from playing football without wages world wide for 5 years.
Marching
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I want to be a professional footballer, i am middle aged.and not that good but doesn't matter if never play
pensive
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UEFA or FIFA or even both should ban both players for breach of contract. If a club acted like that towards a player, they'd get dragged over the coals.
over36
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This explains WEST HAM UNITEDS recruitment priorities. Yet their chief scout was sacked for being honest about them.
JamesHarden521
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How we (chelsea) managed to sell him, let alone at a profit is beyond me
Footballlimr
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Crazy wages, the guy is useless.
wordthis
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Surely these guys have violated their contracts so Sunderland should be able to terminate them. Even PFA can't defend them for once.
keduo
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He simply should be sacked. PERIOD. Infact the club can claim damages for breach of contract.
Andredu
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This player power thing is out of hand. Sue him. He is "not in a ready state" to play football because he's not trained. It'll take weeks for him to be anywhere near ready. I hope Sunderland win this lawsuit not just for themselves but for other clubs too.
rucksackers
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The only thing better than being a top footballer earning a shed load of money is being a bang average footballer earning a shed load of money
foreverbay
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Just like a lot of immigrants, here for what they can get
Citymen
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33k a WK in div one, and he can't be bothered to Train or turn up. Contract should be cancelled, and he should have to pay Sunderland the 8m they wasted on him.
damone
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No wonder they are in League one
foreverbay
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Chelsea did a number on Sunderland with this sale of a dud.
LoveKun
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In the real world, people who earn 100 k a year work 60 hour weeks often. People who earn minimum wage if they are late let alone don't turn up for a few days in a month then they could well be sacked. This spoilt clown is on over a million a year and doesn't even turn up for months on end and you can't sack him? Football is rotten to its core
Bettyshy
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Pair of two bob mercenaries
Ledontow
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Who sanctioned £33k pw? No wonder Sunderland are an absolute mess.
bespeak
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Sunderland should sack him without compensation (if anything, he should pay them compensation). This is disgraceful behaviour towards the club. Those that have red arrowed such comments are nothing but lazy layabouts.
qianmia
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Breach of contract, sack him with no pay off, but hold on to his registration for the same length of time as he has been awol. It's about time some of these overpaid overrated sub standard players were taught a lesson.
therefore
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Players who do this should be jailed.
Alaindelon
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Please try and get rid of him- if I didn't turn up to work I'd get sacked!
meaedog
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Madness whoever sanctioned the wages for this nobody