Sunderland player labelled ‘missing person’, lazy and told to lose weight

Loaned from Sunderland at the start of the season, Jeremain Lens has been unable to make an impact at Besiktas.

The Sunderland loanee is currently down the pecking order, with Besiktas manager Senol Gunes favouring Ryan Babel and Ricardo Quaresma in recent weeks.

Lens’ slow start to the season has been highlighted in the Turkish media, and Gunes labelling him a ‘missing person’.

The Turkish newspaper say Lens is lazy and isn’t working hard enough. They claim Lens’ weight is a problem, and that the Dutchman has been instructed to lose some pounds by the Besiktas medical team.

This is unlikely to be good news to Sunderland as they will be hoping to offload the Netherlands international next summer. Besiktas have a right of redemption of €4.5m, but if he continues in this way Sunderland may struggle to sell him on a permanent deal at the end of the season.

With Sunderland’s continuing problems the possibility of a high earner returning to the club wouldn’t be an ideal situation, and the Championship side will be hoping he returns to the form he showed with Fenerbahce in the last campaign.