Sunderland defenders Dan Ballard and Omar Alderete were sent off abroad – handing Le Bris an unexpected lift

Régis Le Bris may have been handed a surprise double boost ahead of Sunderland’s Premier League trip to Fulham after both Dan Ballard and Omar Alderete were shown red during the international break – ruling them out of their nations’ second fixtures.

Ballard’s dismissal came late on Friday evening as Northern Ireland fell to defeat in Slovakia. The centre-back was shown a second yellow in the 99th minute, reacting in disbelief as referee Istvan Kovacs sent him off after his forearm caught Stanislav Lobotka. The frustration capped off a miserable end to the night for Michael O’Neill’s side, who had already seen their faint hopes of automatic qualification extinguished by a contentious stoppage-time winner.

Roughly 24 hours later, Alderete also saw red – despite not kicking a ball. The Paraguayan defender, still easing back from a concussion, was listed as an unused substitute in a 2–1 loss to the USA, but was shown a straight red card from the bench for violent conduct. In an unusual twist, that means he, too, will miss his country’s next game.

The situation marks a strange positive for Le Bris at the end of what is often a disruptive fortnight. Sunderland had already been juggling concerns over Alderete’s recovery, with Paraguayan outlet Versus describing a “big question mark” around his readiness for international minutes following a concussion. Paraguay boss Gustavo Alfaro later revealed he had been in contact with Sunderland, saying: “Sunderland requested that Omar not play more than 30 minutes in the first match and 60 in the second.”

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Those plans were wiped out by the dismissal, leaving Alderete with additional rest rather than match action. With both defenders now suspended from midweek internationals, Sunderland should have Ballard and Alderete fully available for the trip to Craven Cottage.

What has Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris said about Omar Alderete’s recovery from concussion?

For his part, Sunderland boss Le Bris had suggested prior to the international break that he expected Alderete to be ready to play some part for Paraguay over the coming days. In a press conference before the Black Cats’ 2-2 draw with Arsenal last weekend, the Frenchman said: “Yeah, he [Alderete] had to step back because of a residual symptom.

“So it's not really serious, but the concussion protocol is really strict and we followed it. So he won't be available this weekend. Probably he will be able to get some minutes with his national team progressively and get ready for Fulham. I think he's in a good place and to get fit again, it will be necessary to play. So I think it will be nice for him and for us [if he gets some minutes for Paraguay].”

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