Looking to keep hold of their Championship top spot, manager Regis Le Bris is still set to be without two of his Sunderland stars against Luton Town despite their returns to training.
Sunderland injury news
The Black Cats may have taken their time to find a permanent new manager, but it’s fair to say that Le Bris is more than proving to be worth the wait. The Frenchman has taken Sunderland from the depths of a potential relegation battle all the way to the summit and into early promotion contention in the space of a few months. Whilst it’s still early days, he couldn’t have asked for a much better start at the Stadium of Light.
What makes Sunderland’s form all the more impressive is that Le Bris is still waiting for the return of certain absentees from the sidelines, including central defender Daniel Ballard. The 25-year-old has been injured since the end of September and although he has returned to training, he is set to be missing once again against Luton Town.
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He’s not the only one, either. As confirmed by Le Bris and relayed by the Sunderland Echo, Eliezer Mayenda has also been ruled out of the Luton game even though he too has made his return to training. The forward has been missed since the Watford game at the end of September in the same timeline as Ballard, but could return against Oxford United this weekend.
Le Bris confirmed the news, telling reporters: “We won’t have either of the two players for the Luton game. Eliezer is training. He has trained this week. The Oxford game might come a little bit too soon for him because it was a muscle injury so he needs a bit of time, but he should be available after that. For Ballard, it should be next week when he is able to get back up to full speed.”
Sunderland returns should be crucial
Although the Black Cats won’t see either Ballard or Mayenda feature against Luton, it certainly seems as though they’re on their way back. By the time they travel to face Queens Park Rangers at the start of November, Sunderland should have both players back in action to hand Le Bris’ side an even further boost, as if they haven’t already impressed enough without them.
Still just 19 years old, £6,500-a-week Mayenda will be desperate to get a run of games under his belt when he returns from the sidelines. With two goals from six Championship games so far this season, the forward is certainly a player with plenty of potential and one who will only benefit from playing alongside the likes of Wilson Isidor.
Ballard, meanwhile, should hand Sunderland a major boost. The central defender has struggled with injuries all season, but may finally put his struggles to bed by returning against QPR. Having started 43 of Sunderland’s 46 Championship games last season, Ballard remains a crucial player at the Stadium of Light.
