'You're hoping...' - Ex-Sunderland player admits he is 'concerned' by development ahead of Millwall clash
Sunderland could be without a number of key players against Millwall later this month
Former Sunderland defender Danny Collins has admitted that he is “concerned” by the Black Cats’ mounting absentee list heading into their clash with Millwall after the international break.
Regis Le Bris’ side are set to be without a number of key players on November 23rd, with influential duo Trai Hume and Patrick Roberts both picking up yellow cards in Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Coventry City which ensure they will serve one-match suspensions. Elsewhere, Alan Browne and Romaine Mundle were both taken off injured during the second half of that contest at the Stadium of Light, with no concrete indication at this stage as to how long they are set to be sidelined for, while Jobe Bellingham will also be absent at The Den as he continues to serve a three-match ban for his straight red card against QPR earlier this month.
And following on from the disappointment of letting a two-goal lead slip against Coventry, Collins has also expressed his worries that Sunderland’s sudden influx of missing talent could hamper them in the coming weeks too.
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Speaking on Total Sport, the pundit said: “You’re always looking at the table. And with the two-week gap now, if we hadn’t have been there [1st place], you’re all of a sudden thinking, ‘We’ve let it slip a bit there, lads’. They will have felt that, certainly second half after the game [vs Coventry] in the changing room, anyway.
“But when you do look at it, you can try and recharge the batteries, and as we said there, you’re hoping that those couple who’ve come off injured can get back to it and they’ll be okay, we don’t known the extent of their injuries yet. But obviously you’ve lost a couple suspensions… Am I concerned? In terms of that, I am, yeah.”
In more promising news, Sunderland could be in a position to welcome back both Anthony Patterson and Aji Alese in the aftermath of the international break, although it is understood that the likes of Ahmed Abdullahi, Salis Abdul Samed, and Ian Poveda may require a while longer before they are passed fit.
Updating on the Black Cats’ injury situation at the weekend, Le Bris said: "With Romaine and Alan it is too early, we will have to assess them early this week and see. I think that Aji will probably be fit at the end of this international break, and of course if Dan Ballard gets some minutes with the international team then that should be good for us.
"Anthony [should be back], we will have to wait with Salis and Ahmed. I think with Ian we might have to wait a little bit longer. He had a muscle injury, it wasn't a re-injury but he struggled and I think we have to build some strong foundations with him, so that he can be ready for us to make an impact in the second half of the season."