Carl Winchester is set to see a specialist tomorrow and faces a spell on the sidelines as Sunderland's defensive injury problems begin to mount. Black Cats centre-back Daniel Ballard limped out of the weekend draw against QPR with what was later revealed to be a fractured foot and, while Alex Neil is unwilling to put a timescale on the injury, the summer signing is expected to be out of action for around eight weeks.
And now Winchester, who would ordinarily be a potential candidate to replace Ballard on the right side of a back three, has also picked up an injury - in his case a back issue. "When it rains, it pours," said Neil, referring to the two injuries occurring in a short space of time.
"Unfortunately for us, at the moment, Winnie [Winchester] is injured, so he's out for a little while. I think he's due to see the specialist tomorrow, so we'll get a better idea of that one then.
READ MORE: Sunderland rocked by Dan Ballard foot fracture picked up against QPR
"That's why, at the moment, he isn't in contention for a role in the back line. It's a problem with his lower back and we'll find out the full extent once he's seen the specialist."
Winchester did not make the matchday squads for Sunderland's first two league games, but played the full 90 minutes of last Wednesday's Carabao Cup first round defeat at Sheffield Wednesday, and was then absent from the squad once more on Saturday. With Ballard injured and now Winchester also absent, Neil's priorities for new signings before the summer window closes may need to change.
He said: "Yeah, Dan has been a key signing for us, he's got mobility, he's good on the ball, big and strong, his best years are ahead of him. He's everything we want in a signing.
"Realistically, those players are really, really hard to come by, particularly for what we can afford. I could give you a list of players right now - in fact I've got a list in my drawer - but the difficult part is considering what you can get for where we are, and what we're trying to do."
Sunderland have made an unbeaten start to the season and have collected five points from their first three league games, but tomorrow they face arguably their toughest test yet when they head to Bramall Lane to take on Sheffield United.
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