Sunderland winger Romaine Mundle may not feature again until 2025, after suffering a hamstring injury against Coventry City.
Sunderland’s last outing against Coventry City sprung up a few fresh player concerns for Regis Le Bris.
The game saw both Romaine Mundle and Alan Browne limp off the pitch, whilst Trai Hume and Patrick Roberts both picked up their fifth yellow cards of the season, resulting in one-game suspensions.
For the upcoming Championship clash against Millwall, Le Bris has a few selection headaches, one of which being who to play in Mundle’s left-wing position.
Tommy Watson looks like the likeliest candidate to step into the XI, but he has big shoes to fill following Mundle’s impressive start to the season.
After Jack Clarke’s £18million move to Ipswich Town, Mundle has really upped his game, with four goals and two assists in 15 Championship outings so far.
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Romaine Mundle’s message to fans after Sunderland injury blow confirmed
Speaking to the press on Thursday, Le Bris confirmed that Mundle will be sidelined for up to eight weeks with a hamstring injury.
Le Bris also confirmed that Browne is sidelined for up to eight weeks with a leg fracture, adding two more names to Sunderland’s current injury list.
For Mundle, it’s a huge blow. He was really starting to shine for Sunderland following his £2million move from Standard Liege in the January transfer window last season.
During the November break, Mundle posted a picture on holiday abroad, suggesting that he was given time off for a probably injury.
Posting on Instagram, Mundle had this three-word message for fans: “Be back soon.”
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Regis Le Bris drops Tommy Watson hint ahead of Millwall vs Sunderland
With Mundle and Roberts unavailable for Millwall on Saturday, Le Bris has some tricky decisions to make in attack.
But speaking ahead of the game, Le Bris hinted that Watson could start for Sunderland on the wing.
Discussing Milan Aleksic’ struggles for game time at Sunderland, Le Bris said of Watson: “Sometimes you are waiting for the right opportunity. It was the case for Tommy Watson, for example.
“He waited for maybe, six, seven, eight weeks without opportunities, and now it’s done. He started, probably will start again.”
So whilst Mundle’s injury is a blow for everyone involved, it’s a chance for Watson to stake a claim, and show Le Bris just how good a player he is.
Sunderland fans have all seen his goals and mazy runs for the U21s, but now it’s a question of whether or not he can do it in the Championship.