Sunderland handed major injury concern as Brian Brobbey suffers suspected hamstring problem

Sunderland have been handed a major injury concern after Brian Brobbey was forced off while playing for the Netherlands against Germany.

The striker lasted just 35 minutes before going down and immediately signalling that he needed to be substituted. It appeared to be a hamstring problem, although it was impossible to tell the severity at that stage, with Sunderland supporters left anxiously awaiting further news while the game was still ongoing at the time of writing.

Brobbey was able to leave the pitch under his own steam, but the scenes afterwards will be a worry for Régis Le Bris and his staff. The forward was pictured limping heavily as he made his way through the tunnel and appeared to require assistance from members of the Netherlands staff.

The timing could hardly be worse for Sunderland. Brobbey had produced arguably his best performance for the club just days earlier, scoring a superb hat-trick during the 5-3 defeat against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. That display underlined his growing importance to Le Bris’ side, with the striker causing City major problems throughout and becoming the focal point of an increasingly dangerous Sunderland attack.

Sunderland will now hope the problem is not as serious as it first appeared. Any significant absence would represent a major blow during a busy period, with the Black Cats balancing Premier League, European and domestic cup commitments. The Black Cats are next in action on October 10 at the Stadium of Light in the league against Brighton & Hove Albion.