Sunderland star could miss 10 games after fresh injury blow as full return timeline emerges
Habib Diarra faces six to eight weeks out with a hamstring injury, but the international break will limit the damage for Sunderland
Habib Diarra could miss as many as ten Sunderland games after being ruled out for between six and eight weeks with a hamstring injury suffered during the win over Fulham.
The midfielder will definitely sit out Saturday’s trip to Brentford, along with the Carabao Cup tie against Hull City and the Premier League meeting with Arsenal at the Stadium of Light. Diarra will also be unavailable when Sunderland begin their Europa League campaign at home to AZ Alkmaar on September 16, before missing the difficult league trip to Manchester City four days later.
The timing of the international break at least reduces the number of club games affected. This season’s first window runs from September 21 until October 6, combining the traditional September and October breaks into one extended period. Sunderland therefore have no fixtures across two consecutive weekends.
Their first game after the break is at home to Brighton on October 10. That will fall just short of six weeks since Diarra sustained the injury, making his involvement highly unlikely. If the Senegal international recovers towards the earlier end of the club’s timeframe, the Europa League trip to Torreense on October 15 or the visit to Bournemouth three days later could become possible return dates.
The Echo has launched a new WhatsApp SAFC Channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates direct to your phone. Simply click this link to join our SAFC WhatsApp channel.
Should Diarra require the full eight weeks, though, he could also miss the trip to Portugal, the Bournemouth game, another European away fixture against Lech Poznań on October 22 and the home meeting with Leeds United on October 25. That leaves six matches he is almost certain to miss and another four potentially at risk, although his recovery will ultimately determine the exact number.