Sunderland rocked as defender is ruled out for season with serious knee injury

Xhemajli, who signed for a seven-figure compensation fee in the summer, is understood to have suffered ACL damage while on international duty with Kosovo U21s.

The 22-year-old has impressed in the early months of his time on Wearside and the news has come as a major blow to Phil Parkinson’s plans for the campaign ahead.

“Unfortunately, Arby suffered a very serious knee injury whilst he was away with Kosovo,” Parkinson said.

“He will be out for the remainder of the season and it’s a real shame for him because he had settled into the club well.

“We feel for him, but we will give him all the support he needs to get through it, from the medical team and the staff to the players.”

The news has underlined Parkinson’s need to strengthen his squad before the deadline shuts at 5pm on Friday.

Special Feature: The inside story of Phil Parkinson’s first year at Sunderland – what’s changed and what lies ahead

The Black Cats boss was already considering signing another centre-back, with Morgan Feeney out of action for another two months at least.

That is now a priority, though the club remain restricted by the salary cap rules introduced earlier this summer.

Parkinson has a big decision to make in defence ahead of the weekend, with Tom Flanagan suspended for the trip to Swindon Town.

The likelihood is that either Conor McLaughlin or Luke O’Nien will have to step in on the left of defence.

It’s an unfamiliar role for O’Nien, but one he took in with relish in Sunderland’s last competitive fixture against Carlisle United.

After that game, Parkinson said: “I thought Luke was tremendous. In that left-sided centre-back slot, not only did he put in a faultless defensive performance, heading and clearing, but some of his ability to drive forward and support Denver (Hume) was really great.

Explained: The options for Phil Parkinson this Saturday with defensive reshuffle required

"It’s certainly given us something to think about because those two looked a real threat tonight.”

One boost for the Black Cats is that Will Grigg, who missed that game with a shin injury, is not believed to have suffered a serious injury.

Grigg was sent for an X-ray which is not thought to have shown any major problem.

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