Major injury blow

Sam Allardyce has been dealt a double injury blow in Sunderland's bid to remain in the Premier League.

Attacking duo Duncan Watmore and Jeremain Lens are both facing spells on the sidelines, which could potentially be long-term.

Watmore suffered suspected ankle ligament damage in last weekend's draw at Liverpool after the 21-year-old was forced off before half-time.

And Lens - who missed the Liverpool game entirely - is struggling with a suspected hernia.


The pair join Seb Larsson on the treatment table, although Younes Kaboul could return for the trip to West Ham in a fortnight after he suffered a groin problem in training on the eve of the Liverpool clash.

Allardyce has also confirmed that Adam Johnson will not be available for this weekend's visit of Manchester United, amidst his ongoing court case.

 

4 players missing for the long haul is a huge blow for us!
I didnt realise Kaboul injured his groin again training just before the Liverpool game ffs. I just thought he wasnt ready because of his lenghy layoff.
How the feck did he even pass a medical???

 

4? Think you can write AJ off forever

 

Cool. We have 4 wide players. Watmore, Borini, Lens and Johnson.

We will have to look at playing 3-5-2 now, because we won't have the players to play his 4-3-3 formation.

 

Aye good ridance aswell. I meant this time last week we were 4 players better off to what we are now.

 

Well SA likes to hoy anyone wide. ALA Graham. Etc

 

To think we knocked Lombaerts back for failing his medical and signed Kaboul instead .
I wonder how many games Lombaerts would have played compared to Kaboul?

 

I think not signing people who fail medicals is more to do with not being able to get insurance for players mate.

You should probably just rest all of your players against us, play the kids, just to be safe.

 

Kids are safe to come out of the lockers now. They found the keys in AJ cellar.

 

I think this may be a running theme on every thread for quite some time

 

Just getting in before (aj) and all the wums.

 

Starting 11 just about picks itself now.

 

Borini left Wasabi right

 

It doesnt really effect our strongest starting 11 albeit if Seb was fit id be tempted to bring him in for Catts.
Our strengh in depth is now pretty weak in them wide areas, especially with Mavrias leaving aswell.

 

Yep. Guess so.

So doubt SA will have different ideas.

 

When I saw this thread title I thought Defoe was going to be crocked, which would have been us absolutely ****ed. To be fair Watmore and Lens will be a bit of a blow but we've still got Khazri and Borini for the wide spots who might have started ahead of the other two anyway. If Lens is a hernia he could be back in 3 or 4 weeks so might only miss another couple of games and as much as I like Watmore he's got very little end product at the minute so I wouldn't call it a major blow. As for AJ, he's normally infective in any case so no great loss there.

 

Mavrias? Where did you pluck that from? Never given a chance

 

No ideal lol. Ive just woke up from a 12 hour nightshift. Im abit delirious!

 

Smoggies reaction on AJ case?

 

Sunderland are set to be without Younes Kaboul, Seb Larsson, Jeremain Lens and Duncan Watmore when Manchester United travel to the Stadium of Light.

Larsson has returned to training but Saturday’s early kick-off will come too soon for the Sweden international, with Kaboul and Watmore both facing time on the sidelines due to ankle ligament injuries.

Speaking to safc.com Sam Allardyce also revealed that Lens has a suspected hernia, before elaborating further on the progress of Larsson, Kaboul and Watmore.

“Fabio Borini has recovered from illness and given it to me,” joked Allardyce. “Seb Larsson has joined in training but he won’t be put in the squad because it’s too early this weekend.

“Younes Kaboul suffered a fresh injury – ankle ligament – in training the day before the Liverpool game, and Duncan Watmore is going to be considerable time with ankle ligaments as well.”

He added: “Younes hasn’t done it too badly but Dunc has a bit more of a problem due to the rotation in the ankle when he hit the floor, so we will have to see how it responds in the next ten days to two weeks.

“We have one or two other niggles; Billy Jones has a hip problem and after that it’s just bumps and bruises, but certainly Duncan and Younes are out of the picture for this weekend.

“We think – we’re not absolutely certain – that Jeremain Lens may have a hernia."