Sunderland will be without two senior players for around a month due to injury

Régis Le Bris says injuries to Bertrand Traoré and Arthur Masuaku will not impact the club’s January transfer plans.

The pair have been assessed for knee and ankle injuries respectively this week after their return from the Africa Cup of Nations, and have been ruled out for a period of around a month to six weeks. Traoré has been an important part of Le Bris’s squad this season but having coped without him for the last month or so, Le Bris says he is confident in the options he has at his disposal for the time being.

“We're expecting a 3-4 week time frame, so we won't rush the process, because it's better to give him a strong rehabilitation programme,” Le Bris said.

“He'll be back soon, so it's not really well connected. We have other options, because we worked without him for almost four weeks, and it was possible.”

Le Bris also said that he doesn’t expect the injury to have an impact on Masuaku’s future. The left back could leave this month and has interest from Standard Liege in Belgium.

“No, probably it will not have an impact,” Le Bris said.

“It's a short-term injury, so it's possible to imagine a future here or elsewhere.”

Le Bris said the club were still proactively looking to bolster the ranks but added that no incoming deals were imminent.

“At the moment, no,” Le Bris said.

“I won't comment on individuals, but it's still the same topic.Outgoing players are possible, and the conversation is still open for them and for us, because it's still connected. If we can strengthen the group with one, two or three profiles depending on the outgoing players, we'll try. But this market is tough and unpredictable. We are working hard behind the scenes, fully aligned with composure, and we'll try our best.”

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Le Bris confirmed that Reinildo would be back in the Sunderland squad to face Crystal Palace this weekend, and that Brian Brobbey was fit and available. Brobbey was substituted at half time in extra time at Everton last week due to tightness in his hamstring, but Sunderland’s cautious approach has ensured any injury has been avoided.