Dan Ballard delivers Sunderland injury update after Liverpool and makes bold Enzo Le Fée prediction
Dan Ballard completed 45 minutes on his injury return against Liverpool and backed Enzo Le Fée to shine in the Premier League and Europe
Dan Ballard believes Sunderland will continue to improve during their tour of the United States after completing 45 minutes on his return from injury against Liverpool.
The Northern Ireland international made his first appearance of pre-season during Saturday’s 4-2 defeat at Geodis Park in Nashville. Ballard had undergone ankle surgery after his 25-26 campaign ended early and was not involved in Sunderland’s opening friendly against York City. He returned to full training before the Liverpool fixture and started alongside Luke O’Nien at centre-back.
The defender admitted the heat in Tennessee made the game particularly demanding but felt the contest provided a useful step in his recovery. “The climate was difficult, but we got what we needed out of the game, and we’ll take a lot of positives from it,” said Ballard.
“It’s an important time of the year, and we have to keep building every game now. I haven’t played for a few months, so it was good to dust the cobwebs off. We tried to control the ball against a good team, but we have a lot to work on. Liverpool pressed us a lot, so we had to be able to manage that.”
Sunderland produced an encouraging first-half display against strong opposition, with Enzo Le Fée scoring an excellent equaliser before Régis Le Bris changed all ten outfield players at the interval. Ballard was also impressed by the number of Sunderland supporters who travelled to Nashville for the opening game of the club’s American tour.
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“To see so many Sunderland fans at the game was a shock to me – it was amazing,” he added. “Coming to Nashville has been great for the squad and playing in this climate is also going to benefit us moving forward.”
Le Fée’s goal was one of the standout moments of the night, with the Frenchman finding the top corner after creating space on the edge of the penalty area. Ballard hopes his teammate can carry that form into Sunderland’s Premier League and Europa League campaigns.
“Enzo’s goal was amazing,” he said. “He’s a brilliant player, as we all know, and hopefully he can take that into the Premier League and Europe next season.”