Thorben Hoffmann missed Sunderland's defeat at Cheltenham due to illness, it has been confirmed.
The on-loan Bayern Munich goalkeeper was a surprise absentee at Whaddon Road, with no information given by the club ahead of time that he would not feature, and with backup Lee Burge also out of action, academy graduate Anthony Patterson started against the Robins with Jacob Carney promoted from the U23s as back-up.
Hoffmann's absence led to speculation on social media that he had been recalled by Bayern as cover for their injured number one Manuel Neuer - but that was a non-starter, given that the transfer window is currently closed.
