Sunderland’s recent injury woes could present an opportunity for two players with a combined 16 minutes of Championship action.
Following Sunderland’s recent defeat to Hull City at the weekend, the Black Cats have been significantly hit by injuries to several key men.
Enzo Le Fee looks set to be out for six weeks after he was replaced at the interval against Hull City in place of the returning Romaine Mundle, whilst Jayden Danns could be out for the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign, despite not notching a single minute of action in red & white.
Losing both the attackers will be a blow for Regis Le Bris, but matters have been made even worse because of Dan Ballard’s injury after he was also substituted against the Tigers, and his period of absence could be up to eight weeks.
As a result, Sunderland boss Le Bris may have to turn towards two rarely seen Black Cats defenders to provide necessary depth in his squad.
Sunderland duo Leo Hjelde and Jenson Seelt could be handed more responsibility amid Dan Ballard injury
Ballard, when fit, has been regarded as a ‘quality’ option at the back for Sunderland, and his abilities will be difficult to replicate.
The main concern with the Sunderland defender’s absence is the effect it will have on squad depth, with options looking light beyond centre-back pair Chris Mepham and Luke O’Nien.
Because of this, Sunderland defenders Leo Hjelde and Jenson Seelt could be handed more responsibility and urged to play a part in the current league campaign, despite the pair only notching 16 and zero minutes each respectively.
Regis Le Bris will be confident to hand responsibility to Leo Hjelde
Out of the pair that are likely to step up, we are more likely to see Norwegian youngster Hjelde be handed game time.
The Sunderland defender has recently returned from injury, and Le Bris has said he is ‘ready’ for first-team action, with Ballard’s injury providing an opportunity for him to truly deliver on the French boss’ judgment on him.
His game time this season has been fairly limited, but the next eight weeks could certainly see him truly kickstart his Sunderland career, and prove exactly why Kristjaan Speakman signed him.