Tony Mowbray's dilemma with Leeds and Manchester United loanees ahead of Sunderland's fixture at Burnley

Defender Daniel Ballard has been ruled out for two to three weeks with a hamstring injury he picked up while playing for Northern Ireland, while Jewison Bennette has also been sidelined on international duty and is likely to miss the remainder of the season with a dislocated shoulder.

Mowbray will also be without long-term absentees Corry Evans, Ross Stewart, Elliot Embleton and Aji Alese against Burnley – so what options does he have?

Here are some selection dilemmas the Sunderland boss will be weighing up:

How to replace Dan Ballard

Since returning from a lengthy foot injury in December, Ballard has shown why he was highly sought after in the summer – before joining Sunderland from Arsenal for a seven-figure fee.

The 23-year-old centre-back has started 18 consecutive games for the Black Cats since returning to the starting XI, forming an effective partnership with Danny Batth in defence.

The most likely solution to deal with Ballard’s absence would be to move Luke O’Nien across from left-back to centre-back – a position where he performed well earlier in the campaign.

That would leave a void on the left side of defence, though, with Sunderland still managing Dennis Cirkin’s recovery following a head injury. The 20-year-old is set to be named in the squad to face Burnley, yet it’s unclear if he’ll be ready to start.

Lynden Gooch is available again and could fill in at left-back, while centre-back Joe Anderson, who arrived from Everton in January, may receive an opportunity before the end of the season.

Will Amad be ready to return?

After returning from a minor hamstring issue, Amad came off the bench to make an impact and score Sunderland’s equaliser against Luton last time out.

Since then the Manchester United loanee has been away on international duty representing Ivory Coast, and the 20-year-old played 74 minutes during an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier win over Comoros on Tuesday.

Mowbray will therefore have to decide if Amad is ready to come back into the starting XI to face Burnley, after admitting the player showed signs of fatigue last month, or whether it would be better to select Alex Pritchard in the No 10 position.

There is also the option to play Amad ahead of Pritchard as a false nine, yet both have performed better in slightly deeper roles.

Does Mowbray persist with Joe Gelhardt?

If Amad and Pritchard do both start, along with regular wide players Patrick Roberts and Jack Clarke, it would probably come at the expense of Joe Gelhardt.

Mowbray has admitted he sees the Leeds loanee as a ‘nine and a half’ but looks set to persist with the 20-year-old despite just one goal in 10 Sunderland appearances.

Gelhardt appears to have had a good few weeks on the training pitches at the Academy of Light, while O’Nien spoke about the positive influence the forward has had in the side.

Yet, like with Amad, it seems unlikely Gelhardt will return to Sunderland next season, while some will argue Mowbray should look at other options who could be long-term assets for the club.