Sunderland’s win over West Brom came at a price for Regis Le Bris as the Black Cats issued a damning injury update over a crucial squad member ahead of the Norwich clash.
Sunderland beat West Brom 1-0 on Saturday, but the victory came at a costly price for Regis Le Bris.
Trai Hume’s stunning free kick in the first half was the sole goal of the game which earned the Black Cats three points and cemented their play-off aspirations further.
Le Bris’ side are set to face mid-table Norwich on Tuesday evening, with another opportunity to maintain momentum amid the Championship run-in on offer.
However, the Frenchman will unfortunately be without one of his most important players for the Canaries fixture, and Le Bris has revealed that the club’s worst injury fears have been realised.
Romaine Mundle’s Sunderland season could be over
Romaine Mundle has been in impressive form this season, with seven direct goal contributions in just 17 starts which has seen Premier League side West Ham interested in him, despite the rapid left-winger’s campaign being blighted by injuries.
Mundle has missed near half of Sunderland’s league affairs this term, after he suffered a hamstring injury in the 2-2 draw against Coventry back in November.
The former Spurs youngster returned to Le Bris’ side in late February and scored a stunning strike against Preston to rescue a point prior to the international break. His attacking prowess and pace has been a massive miss for the Black Cats this term, and Le Bris confirmed the “serious” fears in his pre-Norwich press conference regarding Mundle’s injury.
Le Bris told SAFC.com: “It’s a re-injury to his hamstring. We don’t know the timeframe yet. We need more information from the specialists.”
When asked if he was concerned that it might be the end of Mundle’s season, Le Bris added: “Yes, it’s possible, so we’ll have to make a decision about the situation. It’s not up to us really because need specific advice to make this decision.”
Mundle was taken off after only 32 minutes against the Baggies, for Eliezer Mayenda who won the foul for Hume’s strike, and that could be the last time he features in red and white this season.
As such, Le Bris has a massive selection headache ahead of him for the upcoming crunch clash against play-off chasers Norwich.
Who will Regis Le Bris replace Romaine Mundle with
Le Bris now has four candidates available at his disposal to take up Mundle’s mantle for Tuesday’s trip to Norwich.
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Academy of Light graduate Tommy Watson is his natural replacement, but with his impeding transfer to Brighton confirmed for the summer, Le Bris may again be reluctant to use Watson as he was against the Baggies.
Roma loanee Enzo Le Fee looked bright in his Baggies cameo and could return to the left-wing role. However, with Le Bris needing to reintroduce Le Fee carefully, and the clamour to see him in a central role, the Frenchman may go down another route to replace Mundle.
Mayenda’s 57-minute impact at The Hawthorns in place of Mundle was evidence of another of the youngster’s impressive displays. The Spaniard’s pace and directness were a constant thorn in the Baggies defence and imperative to help Sunderland secure three points.
Forgotten man Milan Aleksic bodes another option for Le Bris, with Sunderland fans desperate to see more of the Serbian. The head coach has promised Aleksic more minutes during the run-in and he will now be in contention to feature at Carrow Road.
Le Bris’ two likely candidates to replace Mundle will be either Mayenda or Le Fee, with the former battling to start against Norwich after Mayenda’s ‘difference-making’ display on Saturday, and Le Fee still only recently back on the grass.
Whichever avenue Le Bris opts for, the absence of Mundle’s potent attacking play will be sorely felt by the Sunderland boss and bodes an unfortunate stumbling block as the season approaches a fiercely contested conclusion.