Sunderland are in a pretty dire situation right now, and the summer ahead now looks like a crucial one.
Sunderland seem to be at, or at least approaching a very definite turning point under the ownership of Kyril Louis-Dreyfus.
His rein at the club so far has had its highs, and now it’s experiencing its lows; Sunderland have now lost their last six in the Championship after a 4-2 defeat vs Southampton last time out.
The summer ahead then seems like a crucial one for the Black Cats, with a number of new players seemingly needed and a new manager to appoint as well.
But here we look at the playing staff, and at three who may well have already played their last game for the club…
Jack Clarke may well have played his last game for Sunderland
Star man Jack Clarke is currently sidelined with an ankle injury which is set to keep him out until April at the earliest, so with the season ending in May, it’s a race against the clock for Clarke.
The 23-year-old has scored 15 goals and assisted four more in 33 Championship outings for the Black Cats this season.
He’s been thoroughly impressive and has had suitors all throughout the campaign, so a summer move now seems inevitable.
And that may well mean that we’ve seen the last of Clarke in a Sunderland shirt.
Patrick Roberts
Patrick Roberts, like Clarke, is currently out injured.
But like Clarke, Roberts is a player who can provide that moment of magic and that’s something Sunderland fans have seen on multiple occasions with Roberts.
Though at 27 years old he’s arguably well out of the age range of players that the club want, and with no goals and a string of injuries this season, Roberts may well have someone who the club look to move on this summer.
He’d no doubt have suitors and so a sale could be easy to pull off, but whether or not he plays for the club again depends on his current injury; he was initially ruled out for up to five weeks last month.
Bradley Dack
Another injured player adding to Sunderland’s woes is Bradley Dack.
The midfielder reunited with former Blackburn Rovers boss Tony Mowbray last summer and had the potential to be a very shrewd signing for the Black Cats.
And Dack has shown glimpses of the player he once was, but injury has really had its toll on the 30-year-old’s career in recent years, with Dack featuring just 12 times in the Championship this season.
He’s still sidelined and not looking like he’s immediately close to a return, and with his contract out in the summer, Dack may well have played his last Sunderland game already.