DIDIER NDONG UPDATE: Troublesome Sunderland midfielder is eventually reporting back to the club

Roker Report understand that Sunderland midfielder Didier Ndong has made contact with the club, and will be reporting to the Academy of Light this afternoon.

The 24-year old has not been seen on Wearside since last January, when he left to join up on loan with Watford, and though he was expected to report for pre-season training in June he decided to take a self-imposed sabbatical in order to apparently push through a move to another club.

Several deals were on the table over the summer but none of them materialised, and since the transfer window closed the Gabon international still hasn’t been seen on these shores - until now, that is.

Yesterday we reported that he had landed back in the North East and that he had been pictured outside of Newcastle airport, and with him now officially back in the area he has informed the club that he will attend the club’s training facility this afternoon.

isport.ga

How those talks progress remain to be seen, though Ndong can expect that the club will continue their hard-line stance with him after they became frustrated at the player’s lack of cooperation over the summer, despite their best attempts at finding him a new club.

Ndong and his representatives have revealed several statements over the last week or so via Gabonese news outlet iSport, and in one of them the player said that he intends to return to Sunderland and play a part in our promotion campaign - and was even willing to take a pay cut in order to facilitate it.

Whilst it seems unlikely that Sunderland are going to alter their stance, it’ll be interesting to see how this one progresses over the coming days and months now that he’s finally decided to front up and return to the club that, by law, employ him.