Sunderland are facing an anxious wait over Dan Ballard and Brian Brobbey after both players suffered suspected hamstring problems while away on international duty

Sunderland have been handed another injury concern after Dan Ballard was forced off late on while playing for Northern Ireland against Georgia.

The Black Cats defender appeared to suffer a hamstring problem in the closing stages of the Nations League match and was unable to continue. Ballard was clearly in discomfort before being replaced by former Sunderland man Paddy McNair in the 95th minute, with Northern Ireland’s game still goalless at the time.

It was not immediately clear how serious the problem was, but the nature of the incident will be a concern for Régis Le Bris and his staff. Sunderland will now wait for further information from the Northern Ireland camp before establishing whether Ballard faces any spell on the sidelines.

The timing is particularly frustrating for Sunderland because Ballard has once again been an important figure at the heart of Le Bris’ defence. The centre-back has already had his share of injury problems during his time on Wearside and any further setback would be a blow during a demanding period of the season.

Ballard’s withdrawal also came just 24 hours after Sunderland were handed another significant injury scare on international duty. Brian Brobbey was forced off after only 35 minutes of the Netherlands’ game against Germany on Thursday night after going down during the game.

Brobbey immediately indicated that he needed to come off and the early concern was that he had suffered a hamstring problem. The striker was able to leave the pitch under his own steam but was later pictured limping heavily and receiving assistance from members of the Netherlands staff as he made his way through the tunnel.

That injury came only days after Brobbey produced his best performance in a Sunderland shirt, scoring a hat-trick in the 5-3 defeat against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. Sunderland will now be hoping for positive news on both players ahead of their return to domestic action. Losing either would be a significant concern, but the possibility of both Ballard and Brobbey facing time out would leave Le Bris with an unwanted headache as the Black Cats balance Premier League, European and cup commitments.