Lee Johnson press conference RECAP: Sunderland team news and injury latest ahead of Accrington Stanley clash
and live on Freeview channel 276
The Black Cats haven’t played for two weeks after their game against Sheffield Wednesday was postponed due to international fixtures.
There was plenty on the agenda as Johnson spoke to the media this afternoon.
Scroll down to see what the Black Cats boss had to say:
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Lee Johnson press conference RECAP
Key Events
- Sunderland will host Accrington Stanley in League One this weekend.
- Lee Johnson will held his pre-match press conference earlier today.
- Accrington are level on points with Sunderland at the top of League One - having played a game more.
Thanks for joining us today
That’s it for today but we’ll be back tomorrow with our live matchday blog from the Stadium of Light when Sunderland take on Accrington Stanley.
There is loads more SAFC content on the Echo website which you can take a look at before then.
See you soon.
Latest on international players
Lee Johnson expects the Sunderland players who have travelled abroad to be available for this weekend’s game against Accrington Stanley.
Callum Doyle and Niall Huggins both flew to Europe and featured for England Under-19s and Wales Under-21s respectively during the international break.
Tom Flanagan also moved within the continent as he represented Northern Ireland, while Bailey Wright was part of Australia’s squad which played in Doha and Vietnamese capital Hanoi.
The aforementioned players had to display negative Covid-19 tests upon their returns, but should be able to feature against Accrington as the countries they visited are on the UK’s amber or green list.
Read more HERE
More on Denver Hume
Lee Johnson says the two-year deal that Denver Hume has signed was the one initially offered to him by the club.
When asked if the contract Hume signed was the one which was on the table earlier this summer, Johnson replied: “Absolutely. That is the one he signed.”
Read more HERE
More to come
That brings to an end the TV section of the press conference but Johnson has also spoken to the written press ahead of tomorrow’s match.
Those quotes will be available on the SAFC section of the Echo website in the build-up to Sunderland’s meeting with Accrington Stanley.
LJ on section headache and Evans:
“Three good goalkeepers with different attributes but you’ll have to wait and see tomorrow.
“Corry is in a decent place. It was a bit too early for him to play as Northern Ireland found out. We’ve used it as a mini pre-season for him.
“He was chasing minutes in games which probably lead to the tweak. I like him more than I thought I did.”
LJ on form and Hume:
On form: “It is another really big challenge. I know where we are and we’re in a good place. In the end, it is all about attitude. It’s about making sure we turn up in front of our fans.
“We have top respect Accrington’s strengths. Things happen in football and this isn’t a one game process and we have to stay consistent and the lads have so far but there’s still loads of improvement to come which is exciting.
On Hume: “It’s almost like buying a house. Someone is willing to pay what they can pay. Everyone had a different agenda. Agents need to feed their kids and clubs need to do what they do.
“Any young player can stay or go depending on the agent. All the challenges got in the way but he wasn’t available to play anyway so the public saga was regrettable.
“Again, Denver is a valued member of the squad. But we just didn’t have room to on the initial squad.
“I’m really happy, we always believe in players. What we don’t know is how people are going to settle in the area.”
LJ on Denver Hume
“We have to assess him. He’s off the back on an operation. We have a duty of care. There is a lot that has gone on. He has to get confidence back.
“We have to build him up. He’s got to have almost a pre-season balanced with U23 games and with the first team.
“It will be a decision making process. There is always psychology. He needs to deal with the situation.
“Everyone is rooting for our players and it’s our job to serve them.”
Lee Johnson on new signings and Accrington
On new signings: “They speak great English. They have been practicing. Most of our internationals have just come back today. Both of the new signings, we’re taking a long term view but they are available.
On Accrington: “It is very early days in the division. We have started well, they have started well. The manager has been good there over a number of years and they have some good players.”
Lee Johnson on manager of the month and Denver Hume
On Manager of the Month: “It is nice to accept the award but it’s on behalf of everyone at the club.
“We need to be nominated for those awards regularly. if you’re nominated five or six times it tends to lead to promotion.
“The boys have had a good week. A really strong squad at the moment.
On Hume: “I am pleased. We don’t offer contracts out hoping they won’t sign them. We have been quite consistent in wanting two players for each position.
“It led through to a new season which was built around compensation now but he has signed now which is all good and we welcome him back into the group.”
Sunderland captain Corry Evans has missed the side’s last four league games with a hamstring issue and pulled out of the Northern Ireland squad before the international break.
The Black Cats will welcome back five players who have been away on international duty (Bailey Wright, Tom Flanagan, Callum Doyle, Dennis Cirkin and Niall Huggins), and those who have been abroad will have had to display a negative Covid-19 test before returning to training.
New signings Thorben Hoffmann and Leon Dajaku could make their debuts after signing for the club on deadline day.
We’ll get a more detailed injury update from Johnson later today.
