Michael Beale won’t have one of his new signings available for Sunday’s mouth-watering clash against Middlesbrough.
Sunderland were very active on deadline day, bringing in winger Romaine Mundle from Standard Liege and versatile Barnsley midfielder Callum Styles.
That duo joined defender Leo Heljde, who arrived from Leeds United to become their first signing of the winter.
Naturally, supporters will want to know when they will first see their new players in action for the first time.
While Hjelde could be thrown straight into the mix at left-back given Dennis Cirkin, Aji Alese and Niall Huggins are all sidelined, Mundle is unlikely to replace Abdoullah Ba in the starting XI on the right flank.
The 20-year-old put in arguably his best performance in a Sunderland shirt in the 3-1 victory over Stoke City, scoring once and assisting twice.
One man who definitely won’t play a part in the Tees-Wear derby on Sunday is Styles.
Their new signing is unavailable for the contest.
Callum Styles ruled out of Middlesborough clash
Excitement would have been building to see Styles at least feature off the bench against Boro.
After all, he has made 124 appearances at Championship level and brings vast amounts of energy and tenacity to Michael Beale’s side.
Unfortunately, supporters are going to have to wait a little bit longer for their new signing to play a part in their quest for promotion.
As reported by journalist Phil Smith on X (formerly Twitter), the 23-year-old will miss the clash against Boro after undergoing surgery on his appendix that held up his move to the Stadium of Light for a while.
He wrote:
What will Styles bring to Sunderland?
Despite his age, Styles will bring an abundance of experience to a very young Sunderland squad.
As previously stated, he has racked up over a century of appearances at this level and helped Barnsley achieve a 5th-place finish in the 2020/21 Championship season, so his pedigree can’t be understated.
In terms of his all-round game, he possesses great versatility and can slot into multiple positions for Sunderland, challenging the often-criticised Pierre Ekwah for his place in the team while demonstrating his ability as an attacking fullback.
Styles is a tenacious player who possesses a superb engine and is capable of winning the ball back for his team. Beale’s side have often lost the midfield battle, but adding the Barnsley man into the equation gives the Black Cats that extra bite they require.
It’s a shame that he is ruled out of the clash against Boro, but there is no doubt he’ll play a vital role in their quest for a top-six finish between now and May.