Sunderland could be facing something of a selection headache against Bournemouth this weekend.

Sunderland’s 3-1 defeat to Fulham at the weekend was damaging in more ways than one.

Not only did the Black Cats suffer a third consecutive Premier League loss, and a second on the bounce on home soil, but they also picked up a number of injury concerns over the course of the contest.

With the likes of Reinildo Mandava, Dennis Cirkin, and Bertrand Traore all sidelined pre-match, Nordi Mukiele was also taken off partway through the first half, and was swiftly followed by top flight debutant Jocelin Ta Bi. To compound matters further, head coach Regis Le Bris confirmed that both Romaine Mundle and Brian Brobbey may have picked up knocks as well.

And as attention now turns to a Saturday lunctime kick-off against Bournemouth, one of the key questions Sunderland now face is who they will start out on the wings at the Vitality Stadium. Assuming Traore, Ta Bi, and Mundle are all doubts, and with Chemsdine Talbi and Nilson Angulo both preferring to operate on the left flank, how will Le Bris navigate this particular selection headache?

Who will play out wide for Sunderland against Bournemouth?

Speaking on the latest episode of The Roar podcast, brought to the you by The Echo, Sunderland writer Jason Jones argued that one solution could be to push club record signing Habib Diarra into a wide berth, especially now that Granit Xhaka has made his return from an ankle complaint.

He said: “I'd be really tempted to keep Enzo [Le Fée] central. I think that he brings so much and, as obvious as it is that you want to get Diarra into the side, I think that Enzo has almost made himself undroppable for me in that position. Time and time again, even when Sunderland aren’t performing, he looks like their best player. He looks like the one who has a bit of something about him that can create something from nothing, and his work rate is just phenomenal - going both ways, he brings so much to the side.

“I would be tempted to stick Angulo out on the left again for the sake of consistency, because I thought, especially before the break against Fulham, he looked bright. I'm almost tempted to suggest putting Diarra out on the right. I think that when we've seen him there - West Ham second half, his cameo against Brighton - I know it's not exactly a broad sample to be working from, but I think he's shown that he has the capability to do it. I think it's a way of getting him into the side without sacrificing personnel. You would hope that because he's got that engine on him, again, he would offer the defensive cover that Le Bris values in his wingers.

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“It's obviously not an ideal solution, and it's not one that I would necessarily suggest long-term, but if we're assuming that Ta Bi’s out and Mundle’s out, that leads you into a position where you've got Talbi as an option, but while I think he has done well on the right on occasion, I think it's obvious it's not his preferred position. [Eliezer] Mayenda, I thought, looked bright when he came on against Fulham, but then there are questions about whether or not he naturally has that defensive side to his game. And I just think that if we're talking about looking for a solution, then I see no reason why you wouldn't at least try Diarra on the right. But again, maybe that's something that Le Bris is reluctant to do, I don't know.”

The Echo’s chief Sunderland writer Phil Smith then responded: “I asked him [Le Bris] about that last week in the press conference. He said he likes him [Diarra] in the middle, but I do kind of agree with you. I think there's maybe a bit of a needs-and-must scenario. I'd be tempted to try it, or I would certainly keep Le Fée in the middle and then either Diarra on the right, or I would pick Talbi. I do think Angulo deserves another crack. I think he did enough for me in his hour on the pitch.”

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