SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND - AUGUST 24: Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sunderland AFC and Burnley FC at Stadium of Light on August 24, 2024 in Sunderland, England. (Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)
Sunderland midfielder out for ‘eight or ten days’, he’s one of five set to miss Plymouth
Sunderland are on the road once again this weekend, as Championship football returns after a two-week break.
Sunderland are back in action on Saturday when Regis Le Bris takes his side down to Plymouth Argyle.
The Black Cats face Wayne Rooney’s Green Army and will look to extend a four-game winning streak.
As things stand, Sunderland sit in 1st place of the Championship table, with their last game being a 3-1 win away vs Portsmouth.
Several Sunderland players have featured during the international break including the likes of Dan Ballard, Trai Hume, Alan Browne, and more.
Le Bris says his international players returned without injury, but there’s fresh concerns elsewhere.
Deadline day signing Ahmed Abdullahi is set to undergo surgery and will miss up to 12 weeks of action.
But fellow deadline day arrivals Milan Aleksic and Chris Mepham are in contention to feature this weekend.
- READ MORE: Sunderland team news and predicted XI to face Plymouth Argyle, youngster in line for chance
Regis Le Bris reveals Salis Abdul Samed timeline at Sunderland
The fourth name who arrived at the Stadium of Light on deadline day was Salis Abdul Samed.
The midfielder joins on loan from Will Still‘s RC Lens side but is yet to feature for the Black Cats.
Samed, 24, bolsters a midfield department that looked relatively light at the start of summer, but what is now looking extremely well-stocked.
Le Bris says that Samed will be available for selection within the next 10 days.
Salis is now training in the first part of the sessions, and he will be available for selection in eight or ten days,” Le Bris said during his press conference on Thursday.
Also unavailable to feature vs Plymouth are Aji Alese, Jenson Seelt, Niall Huggins, and of course Abdullahi.
READ MORE: Regis Le Bris reveals the one thing that’s ‘pleasantly surprised’ him about Sunderland this season
Salis Abdul Samed faces different challenge among Sunderland midfield ranks
Central midfield now looks like the best position on the pitch for Sunderland.
Le Bris has some great options in that position in the likes of Browne, Dan Neil, and Chris Rigg to name a few, with others like Jobe Bellingham able to feature in that position too.
Samed is a defensive midfielder and so he brings something a bit different to the likes of Rigg or Neil.
But with Samed being a loan player, and the Black Cats having no option to buy, Le Bris may be inclined to pick his permanent players over Samed more often than not.
So Samed may well be viewed as a back-up player for Sunderland this season, and with options heavy in the midfield, he could find game-time quite hard to come by.
