According to Keith Downie of Sky Sports, South African midfielder Steven Pienaar is training with Sunderland in pre-season, with David Moyes offering his former employee and friend a chance to regain his fitness.
South African midfielder Steven Pienaar is training with Sunderland following his release from Everton in the summer.
— Keith Downie (@SkySports_Keith) August 3, 2016
Pienaar was released by Everton at the end of the season after a series of injuries restricted his playing time in recent seasons. The 34-year-old only featured six times last season under Roberto Martinez but was a regular during David Moyes’ stay on Merseyside, with the Scot signing Pienaar twice in 2007 and 2012. Pienaar has had a successful career, playing for teams such as Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, and Tottenham Hotspur, scoring 49 times in over 400 appearances.
Sunderland’s squad is very thin at present, with a series of injuries and lack of signings bringing some worried faces to Wearside ahead of the new season. It is unclear whether Moyes is interested in signing Pienaar or is simply just offering a place for the South African to train as he looks for a new club, with Charles N’Zogbia in the same scenario having joined the Black Cats for pre-seaosn training last month.
YouTube: Steven Pienaar – ‘Welcome Home’
