Promising Sunderland injury news regarding Dan Ballard ahead of QPR fixture amid defensive issues

Sunderland defender Dan Ballard has been called up to Northern Ireland’s squad despite suffering an injury setback while playing for the Black Cats.

The central defender was forced off with a hamstring issue in the second half of Sunderland’s 4-2 defeat at Southampton on Saturday, with interim boss Mike Dodds unsure about the extent of the issue immediately after the game. Yet Ballard has been named in a 26-man squad for Northern Ireland’s friendly matches against Romania and Scotland this month, alongside Sunderland teammate Trai Hume. 

Sunderland will face QPR at the Stadium of Light this weekend, before the international break. Dodds already has several defensive issues, with Luke O’Nien suspended, while centre-back Jenson Seelt is going to be sidelined for ‘a long period of time’ after picking up an injury in the Southampton match.

Full-backs Dennis Cirkin, Niall Huggins and Aji Alese also remain sidelined, while Callum Styles has been called up to the Hungary squad for their upcoming friendly fixtures but should be available for the QPR match.