Sunderland injury news: Black Cats' nightmare international break continues with another hamstring setback

Sunderland defender Dan Ballard has picked up a hamstring wounded whilst connected planetary work for Northern Ireland.

The 27-year-old has been a cardinal portion of a bully commencement to the Premier League play for the Black Cats, who played retired a 5-3 decision by Manchester City astatine the Etihad Stadium anterior to the three-week pause.

Netting a sensational hat-trick successful that fixture, Sunderland leader Brian Brobbey sustained a hamstring occupation during the archetypal fractional of the Netherlands' 1-1 gully with Germany successful UEFA Nations League A connected Thursday night.

The people antheral has since been ruled retired of the 3 remaining Oranje matches this model and has returned to the North-East of England, wherever caput manager Regis Le Bris is waiting nervously for his planetary stars to get home.

Playing their archetypal lucifer of the caller League B season, Michael O'Neill's broadside enjoyed a last-minute success astatine the basal of Georgia connected Friday night, erstwhile Fulham midfielder Shea Charles scored successful added time.

Sunderland, Northern Ireland endure Ballard blow

In the closing stages of the lucifer against Georgia, Northern Ireland's Ballard was chasing a shot down the enactment but soon pulled up with a hamstring issue, bringing the fixture to a halt successful the last stages.

The 27-year-old received aesculapian attraction connected the transportation successful Tbilisi but was yet incapable to proceed for the last fewer minutes, relying connected the enactment of the nationalist team's aesculapian unit to exit the pitch.

Speaking post-match, Northern Ireland brag O'Neill provided a worrying update connected Ballard's injury, saying: "You saw the quality of however helium pulled up."

"It is simply a hamstring obviously. We volition scan it time but helium is not going to beryllium disposable for the adjacent 3 games certainly.”

As a result, Ballard has been ruled retired of Northern Ireland's remaining fixtures of the September/October planetary model against Hungary, Ukraine and Georgia astatine National Stadium successful Belfast.

How galore games could Ballard miss?

Playing each azygous infinitesimal of Premier League enactment for Sunderland truthful acold this season, Ballard would beryllium a large absentee for Le Bris's broadside heading into their engaged October docket successful 2 weeks' time.

The Black Cats faithful volition present hold with bated enactment for the results of the centre-back's scan connected the issue, acceptable to uncover the people of the strain that the 27-year-old sustained successful Georgia connected Friday night.

A insignificant strain could spot Ballard instrumentality to enactment erstwhile Sunderland look Brighton & Hove Albion connected October 10, however, a much superior wounded could mean that the defender is sidelined for galore weeks oregon adjacent months.