Sunderland's Jewison Bennette has been pictured with his arm in a sling while on international duty with Costa Rica. The teenage winger picked up a shoulder injury after falling in training on Monday which meant he missed his country's 1-0 CONCACAF Nations League defeat against Panama in the early hours of this morning, which saw Costa Rica finish runner-up to their opponents in their group and therefore miss out on qualification for the finals stage of the tournament.
And, according to a report in the Costa Rican media which included an interview with national team doctor Alejandro Ramirez, Bennette has suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder which could require surgery. If confirmed when the 18-year-old returns to Wearside, that would come as another injury blow for Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray.
Bennette has yet to start a Championship game since joining Sunderland last summer, but he has made 15 appearances from the bench and scored one goal. The Black Cats are already facing an anxious wait after defender Dan Ballard limped out of Northern Ireland's Euro 2024 qualifying defeat against Finland on Sunday.
The former Arsenal defender suffered a hamstring injury in the game and is expected to undergo a scan to determine the extent of the problem. Mowbray is set to speak to the media this lunchtime but at this stage it is expected that both Bennette and Ballard will miss Sunderland's trip to Championship leaders Burnley on Friday night.
Elsewhere, on-loan Manchester United forward Amad started and played more than 70 minutes for the Ivory Coast in their 2-0 win against Comoros in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier yesterday, which saw The Elephants move to the top of their qualifying group.
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