Sunderland star hoping for more minutes under Régis Le Bris following international break

Sunderland defender Dan Ballard is hopeful for more minutes under Régis Le Bris following the international beak.

The former Arsenal man has been sidelined for much of Sunderland’s season so far with Luke O’Nien and Chris Mepham cementing themselves as the first-choice pairing under Le Bris after injuries to Ballard and ex-West Ham central defender Aji Alese.

However, Ballard is likely to be needed for next weekend’s game against Millwall with right-back Trai Hume suspended for the game. Le Bris will also have to further shuffle his pack with Patrick Roberts and Jobe Bellingham also suspended for the clash with Romaine Mundle and Alan Browne serious injury doubts following the Coventry City match.

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Ballard, though, is back fit and has been representing Northern Ireland during the international break. The defender netted in the 2-0 win against Belarus in the Nations League, with Luxembourg next up in the same competition on Monday.

“I think it’s nice to be back in from the start,” Ballard said after starting and scoring against Belarus. “I’ve not played much football this season so it was really important for me and I think the gaffer just wanted to manage my minutes. It was really positive and everything’s in the right direction now. Hopefully, I can build on that and play more minutes.”