One player returning from injury must not take away from one clear signing that Sunderland need in January.
The Black Cats have several absentees at the minute who are out due to injury, including the likes of Romaine Mundle and Tommy Watson, who have left a clear void of excess talent in the left flank, with it being expected that in the upcoming game against Norwich City that either Eliezer Mayenda or Wilson Isidor will be utilised there.
Whilst Mundle nor Watson are expected to be back in the near future, there is one Sunderland summer signing that Regis Le Bris has outlined could be the subject of an imminent return.
That man is Ian Poveda, who is yet to start a single game for the Black Cats, however, Le Bris must not be blindsided by the Colombian’s return in regards to one key transfer pursuit.
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Ian Poveda return shouldn’t take away necessity of Sunderland signing winger
Le Bris has confirmed that, once again, Poveda is set to return to the Sunderland squad after a substantial amount of time out due to injury.
The Colombian international was spotted in midweek training ahead of the upcoming clash against Norwich City, and whilst he is not expected to start for the Black Cats, he bcould potentially be utilised from off-the-bench.
In his pre-match press conference, Le Bris said: “Ian has trained for just over a week now, so he’s in really good shape.
“He’s not ready to play a full game, but he can be a substitute.”
Despite this, Sunderland are still lacking in wide areas, and there is one clear issue with Poveda that means that one key Black Cats issue will not be resolved with his return.
Ian Poveda injury woes mean that he can’t be relied upon to provide necessary depth
There is no doubting that Sunderland winger Poveda has bags of talents that Black Cats fans are still raring to see.
Previous spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds have shown his qualities, and even Man City boss Pep Guardiola has previously been blown away by the 24-year-old, who described the winger as ‘incredible’.
Unfortunately, another trend with his previous spells are the injury issues that have tallied up, and that has certainly been the case so far at Sunderland.
His record proves that he simply can’t be relied on to constantly be an option for Le Bris following his return from injury, and Sunderland still need more wingers through the door to fill the void.