Sunderland suffer double injury blow with one player out for the season

Sunderland have suffered a double injury blow with two players facing a spell on the sidelines following international duty.

Dan Ballard was forced off in the second half of Northern Ireland’s 1-0 defeat to Finland after he felt something go in his hamstring, and the club how now confirmed the severity of it following scans.

The defender will be out for just 2-3 weeks, which most will probably see as a best-case scenario. It is still a blow for boss Tony Mowbray though.

Meanwhile, winger Jewison Bennette will almost certainly miss the rest of the season with him requiring surgery on a dislocated shoulder.

The 18-year-old was injured while preparing for Costa Rica’s game against Panama, and the prognosis is not all that positive.

“Jewi has dislocated his shoulder,” Mowbray confirmed. “I think he is finished for the season. It probably needs an operation and pinning.

“With dislocations, you can think you are alright the first time you fall over. Then you do it again and it’s another three months out.”

“We’ll assess it once he gets back in the building but from their medical department, the update is he has dislocated his shoulder in training.”

Injuries have plagued Sunderland’s season, with top scorer Ross Stewart restricted to just 15 appearances by two sperate issues. Ballard had a lengthy spell out earlier in the season too, while Corry Evans, Aji Alese and Elliot Embleton are all also currently out for the season at least too.

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