Sunderland have suffered a key injury during their pre-season preparations.
Sunderland got their pre-season plans underway last weekend, playing local rivals South Shields and Gateshead in a friendly double-header.
Regis Le Bris watched on as his side thumped South Shields 5-0, before losing 2-1 against Gateshead.
The Black Cats are currently in Spain for part of their pre-season planning and will play games against the likes of Nottingham Forest and Eldense.
New head coach Le Bris has four more games before his side begin competitive action in the 2024/25 Championship season.
Sunderland head to the Welsh capital to face Cardiff City in their Championship opener on August 10th, with their first league game at the Stadium of Light being against Sheffield Wednesday on August 18th.
But one key Sunderland player looks set to miss the first few games of the season after sustaining a knee injury in the game vs South Shields last weekend.
Sunderland star Dan Ballard undergoes knee injury after South Shields injury
Centre-back Dan Ballard, 24, was due to join his teammates in Spain this week, but instead travelled down to London to see a specialist after sustaining a knee injury vs South Shields.
Ballard then had to undergo minor surgery before returning to Wearside where he’ll continue his recovery, with a six-week absence expected, per the club.
Sunderland released a statement on the matter, adding: “The 24-year-old will now continue his rehabilitation at the Academy of Light before an expected return to action next month [August].”
The injury comes amid reports that Will Still at RC Lens want to sign Ballard this summer.
Regis Le Bris now has two options to replace Dan Ballard at Sunderland
Thankfully for Sunderland and Le Bris, and for Ballard of course, the injury doesn’t sound like a major one.
Surgery was required though and Le Bris wont rush Ballard back, as he’ll want him fit and firing for the remainder of the season when he does eventually return.
Now, expect Luke O’Nien to start in the middle of a back-four along with one of Trai Hume or Aji Alese, though it could be more likely that Alese starts in the middle with options at right-back low on the ground, meaning Hume would have to start on the right.
Thankfully, Sunderland still have quality at the back, and if the likes of Alese can impress then it could make it difficult for Ballard to break into the side, or it could mean that Alese and Ballard becomes the partnership going forward.