ARBENIT XHEMAJLI is delighted to be back in red-and-white – and has told Sunderland fans they are still to see him at anything like his best.

Wednesday’s Papa John’s Trophy defeat to Oldham Athletic might have been a largely forgettable occasion, but it marked a major moment in Xhemajli’s career as he made his return to senior action after a 15-month absence caused by a cruciate ligament injury sustained in September 2020.

The 23-year-old centre-half had only been on Sunderland’s books for a month when he ruptured his ligaments while on international duty with Kosovo, so Wednesday’s outing at the Stadium of Light was only his second senior appearance for the club.

Both have come in the Papa John’s Trophy, so as he looks ahead to a possible league debut, Xhemajli is confident he still has much more to offer, even if he concedes it might take a little while longer to get properly back up to full speed.

“Sunderland hasn’t seen anything like my best yet,” said Xhemajli, who spent three years with Swiss side Neuchatel Xamax prior to moving to Wearside. “I still haven’t had a league game, so I haven’t been able to show how I play.

“I’m working very hard to get to the point where I can play league games and show what I can bring to the team. Even now I’m back playing, with that kind of injury I had, it’s going to take time for me to get back to my best.

“I have so much passion, and patience as well. I know how hard it’s going to be because we have got a lot of good players. But we have injuries as well, so I’m working hard in training to show what I can do for the team.”

Negotiating the long road back to fitness after a cruciate ligament operation is a morale-sapping challenge for anyone. Trying to remain mentally and physically strong while living alone in a foreign country must make things even more difficult, but Xhemajli has faced his difficulties head on.

Lee Johnson has repeatedly praised the Kosovan’s dedication and professionalism, with Xhemajli grateful for the way in which modern technology has enabled him to retain the support of his family and friends.

"It wasn't easy for me when I first came here," he said. "I came pretty much without a pre-season, joined about a week before the season started, and then after about three or four weeks I got injured. I was on my own here, and I had been settling really well and quickly into the squad before my injury.

"Thankfully, I’ve got a really strong mentality and really strong support from my family. I talk to my brother a lot, my parents, and they keep me motivated. I’m doing all this for them.

“I sacrificed a lot to come here, to show what I can do and to get to the level that I want to be at. All of this for them.

"Of course, it was tough not seeing them for a long time, and now again I haven’t seen them for four or five months, and it’s tough. But thankfully, we have Facetime!”

Xhemajli joined Sunderland because he wanted to prove himself in England and help the Black Cats clamber their way back up the Football League. His attempts to achieve his ambitions have been delayed by a year, but they remain the same.

“I came here because we are the biggest club in this division, that doesn’t deserve to be in the division, and the support from the fans in every game is amazing,” he said. “We really want to give our best for them out on the pitch.

“I still need a lot of work to get sharper. I spoke to the fitness coach and I’m going to do a test on Saturday if I feel good to see if we can then set a programme where I can get even sharper, quicker and more explosive.

"I need that, because I haven’t played for a year. I need to take it step by step.”