Sunderland boss gives this update after Nathan Broadhead injury 'disaster' in Arsenal defeat

Johnson admitted the injury was a ‘disaster’ for his side.

The Everton loanee has been in superb form, and made it 6 from 6 with a superb lob over Bernd Leno just before half-time.

He had become an integral part of Johnson’s side but now looks set for another spell on the sidelines.

A hamstring injury, albeit on the other leg, kept him out of action for around five weeks earlier in the season.

The exact prognosis of this injury is not yet known but Johnson was visibly and audibly downbeat in his post-match assessment.

The Sunderland head coach said his squad showed their quality at times during the 5-1 defeat, but is clear that reinforcements will be key with a number of crucial players sidelined for a medium to long-term spell.

“It's a disaster,” Johnson said.

“It's his hamstring, the other one.

“I don't know if I've run over a Black Cat or what.

“From Jordan Willis, to Broadhead, Aiden McGeady, Luke O'Nien and everyone else in between, it's hard to take.

“We're going to need help in January for sure.

“We're going to need to find a way of bringing in quality to help the boys.

“I thought Pritchard was Premier League in his receiving of the ball today, Winny again, what a great season he's had and that was a really nice game for him, he deserved that.

“Dan Neil gets to show himself off on a big stage, does it extremely well.

"There were a lot of positives and it feels mad that we're coming in at 5-1 feeling like we've shown ourselves relatively well, but you've got respect Arsenal' s sheer ruthlessness in their finishing and that killer pass that we didn't deal with,” he added.

“We're disappointed with the first goal, and the third and the fourth, but we've got to use it as learnings and drive on in the league as best we can.”

Sunderland’s cup football this season is now over, with attentions turning to Doncaster Rovers on December 27th.

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