Sunderland’s victory over West Brom on Saturday afternoon came at a price for one of Regis Le Bris’ most important Black Cats stars.
Sunderland beat West Brom 1-0 on Saturday afternoon as Regis Le Bris’ side continued their winning run following their 1-0 win over Millwall last weekend.
Former Black Cats boss and fan favourite Tony Mowbray was in the opposite dugout to witness his Baggies side enjoy the lion’s share of possession (63%) against his old side, but fail to threaten Anthony Patterson’s goal.
Sunderland full-back Trai Hume’s stunning free kick effort was the sole goal of the Championship affair and was enough to earn his side all three points at The Hawthorns.
The win saw Sunderland remain firmly in fourth position, thanks to the crucial over a fellow play-off hopeful, but it came at a costly price for Le Bris after the Black Cats boss revealed some worrying injury news in the wake of the win.
Romaine Mundle injury vs West Brom could be ‘serious’
Minutes before Hume’s screamer, winger Romaine Mundle was withdrawn due to an injury concern, appearing in some discomfort with his hamstring. Mundle was taken off and replaced by Eliezer Mayenda, with the Spaniard’s efforts earning the foul for which earned the free kick.
Mundle has been in impressive form this season, scoring five times with two assists in just 17 starts, which has caught the attention of Premier League West Ham. However, the tricky left-winger has had his campaign blighted by the hamstring injury he suffered against Coventry in November, limiting his gametime severely.
The former Spurs youngster has returned to Le Bris’ starting XI in recent weeks and scored the equaliser in the 1-1 draw against Preston with a stunning long-range effort to save Sunderland’s blushes.
Last week against Millwall, Mundle was dangerous once more after his wonderful piece of skill earned Sunderland a penalty, which he emotionally reacted to after not being allowed to take the spot kick.
In Saturday’s clash, he had an early effort go just wide prior to being forced off. The Black Cats boss shared a concerning update on his latest injury woe after the West Brom victory.
Le Bris revealed: “It’s his hamstring, yes. We’ll have to wait one or two days to assess how serious it is but it is the same hamstring he injured earlier in the season. We’ll have to wait and see.”
Who could replace Romaine Mundle for Sunderland
Mundle has missed almost half of this Championship campaign through injury. A handful of Sunderland stars have stepped up to replace his attacking prowess and Le Bris may need to call for those left-wing reinforcements again if Mundle’s injury is as bad as first feared.
Tommy Watson
Academy ace Tommy Watson was his natural replacement, but with his impending £10m transfer to Brighton, Le Bris may be reluctant to replace Mundle with the young winger given with Watson appearing “disconnected” amid the move.
Enzo Le Fee
Roma loanee Enzo Le Fee returned to the squad against West Brom and looked bright in his second-half cameo after the Frenchman’s injury lay-off. Le Bris must be careful with Le Fee and has been warned over forcing him back into the starting XI so soon after his spell on the sidelines.
Sunderland supporters want Le Fee to play centrally, where his creative flair is best suited, with the Frenchman taking up Mundle’s mantle during his loan stint on Wearside so far.
Milan Aleksic
Forgotten man Milan Aleksic could step up to replace Mundle with fans desperate to see more of the Serbian. Ahead of the run-in, Aleksic has been promised more minutes by Le Bris and now will be in contention to feature against fellow play-off hopefuls Norwich on Tuesday evening.
Le Bris has options if the worst is confirmed next week regarding Mundle’s injury, but the five-goal wideman would inevitably be a massive miss for the Black Cats. An extended period on the sideline again for Mundle could seriously hamper their promotion prospects.