The 6 options Sunderland could replace Enzo Le Fée with against Sheffield Wednesday after major injury setback

It was, you suspect, just about the last thing that Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris would have wanted to happen. On Saturday lunchtime, with his side lurching towards defeat at the hands of Hull City, the Frenchman was forced to withdraw January signing Enzo Le Fée after the playmaker sustained a hamstring injury at the Stadium of Light.

In a subsequent press conference, Le Bris confirmed that Le Fée - who has impressed immensely since arriving in England - is expected to be out for somewhere in the region of four to six weeks. But how will Sunderland look to replace him, and what options does Le Bris have at his disposal? We’ve taken a closer look below...

Romaine Mundle or Tommy Watson

Probably the most obvious way of approaching the issue of Le Fée’s absence, given that he has been operating as an impromptu left winger ever since he arrived at the Stadium of Light. Indeed, Mundle was the man who came on to replace him against Hull last week, and after a lengthy stint on the sidelines himself, finally looks to be properly back in contention to feature for Le Bris’ side.

On a similar note, Watson is back in full training, and while he may not be properly ready to go for another game or two, his return will provide Le Bris with quality depth in an area of the pitch that has caused Sunderland headaches in recent months.

Eliezer Mayenda

A move that would likely herald a change in shape which many supporters have been crying out for in recent weeks. The plan all along was to eventually deploy Le Fée in a central creative role, but now that he is out of the equation for a short while, could Le Bris perhaps look to bring in Mundle or Watson, as anticipated, and then replace his compatriot with Mayenda through the middle?

In doing so, the Black Cats would likely shuffle their pack and play in a more orthodox 4-4-2, rather than the 4-3-3 that Le Fée’s presence would necessitate, but depending on who you ask, that may be a blessing in disguise.

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.

Alan Browne or Milan Aleksic

Again, you have to assume that Le Bris was hoping to eventually move Le Fée into the heart of midfield at some point, and in doing so, the likelihood is that it would be teenage sensation Chris Rigg who would have made way. The starlet has looked leggy in recent weeks, and is probably overdue a rest after racking up an awful lot of minutes in his first full season with the senior squad.

With that in mind, Le Bris could still look to make a straight swap, but could perhaps utilise Browne - who recently came back from an injury of his own - or Aleksic - who looks increasingly settled with every cameo appearance - to ease some of the burden on Rigg’s young shoulders.

Ian Poveda

A little bit of a left-field shout involving a right winger, but if we imagine that Le Bris brings in Mundle or Watson, leaves Rigg in the centre of the park, and instead opts to use Le Fée’s injury as an opportunity to rest Patrick Roberts, then you would imagine that Poveda is the most natural replacement for the 28-year-old. Like Rigg, Roberts has played a lot of football this term, and a breather might not be the worst idea in the world...

Your next Sunderland read: Sunderland boss issues Ahmed Abdullahi, Jenson Seelt and Jewison Bennette injury and transfer updates