Régis Le Bris reveals Sunderland striker facing extended lay off in deadline-day signings fitness update
Sunderland return to action against Plymouth Argyle this Saturday
Régis Le Bris has confirmed that deadline-day signing Ahmed Abdullahi is to undergo surgery on a persistent groin issue.
Abdullahi signed from Belgian side Gent for a seven-figure fee with the Black Cats aware that he had been experiencing discomfort for a period and that there was the possibility of an extended recovery period. After consulting a specialist the club have decided that surgery is the best way to solve the issue for the long run. As such, he is not expected to be available to make his debut until the festive period.
Samis Abdul Samed, who joined on loan from RC Lens on deadline day, is also unavailable this weekend due to a minor issue but Le Bris believes he could potentially make his debut next weekend against Middlesbrough.
All of Sunderland’s players who went away on international duty have returned fit and are eligible for selection.
“At the minute, we have two injured players,” Le Bris said.
“Salis is not training for the first part of the sessions. I think he will be available for selection in around eight to ten days.
“Ahmed is different because he will have surgery. He will probably have ten to 12 weeks off the pitch. It wasn’t so clear when we signed him. We need an expert to understand exactly what the problem was. Now, we know. The diagnosis is clear and it will be solved after this surgery. He had this pain, a soreness in his groin, for a long time. It was not very clear, but now I think it will be solved. All the players who have been away are back with no problems. Otherwise, there's no new injuries.”
Sunderland’s other two deadline-day signings, Chris Mepham and Milan Aleksic, are fit and could be involved at Plymouth Argyle.