In a major blow after such an impressive start to their Premier League return, Sunderland are now set to be without one of their main summer signings for an extended period.
Le Bris praises "composed" Sunderland
After watching on as Reinildo Mandava received his marching orders in the first-half, Sunderland then gave themselves an uphill battle when they conceded Aston Villa’s first Premier League goal of the season through Matty Cash. Under the circumstances, it looked as though the Black Cats were destined for their first home defeat of the season.
There’s been something special about the newly promoted sides so far, however. Unlike the six before them in the previous two campaigns, Leeds, Burnley and Sunderland have all shown that much-needed resiliency. And that was on show at the Stadium of Light before Wilson Isidor found an unlikely equaliser for his side to salvage a draw against Aston Villa.
To no surprise, Regis Le Bris was full of praise for his side’s character following a well-earned point, telling reporters: “It’s a good point against a strong team, especially with 10 men for the majority of the game.
“We had two different parts in this game. I think we started well 11 against 11, we were in our game plan, and the red card changed the dynamic of the game, but we stayed composed. It became a different game with a low block, and it was clear that our main chances would come from set pieces.”
That said, it’s not all good news for Sunderland. Since salvaging a point against Villa, an injury update has been provided on Habib Diarra, who missed the game entirely last weekend.
How long Diarra is likely to miss for Sunderland
As reported by Sky Sports’ Keith Downie, Diarra has now undergone surgery on a groin injury and is expected to be out of action for Sunderland until December. The summer arrival picked up the injury in training last Friday and has since been handed frustrating news.
Out until December, Diarra is likely to miss a total of eight games and could make his return against Liverpool at Anfield (December 3) at the beginning of a hectic month for the Black Cats.
Meanwhile, in the next month or so, the midfielder is likely to miss Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Chelsea, Everton, Arsenal, Fulham and Bournemouth.
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Dubbed a “complete midfielder” by analyst Ben Mattinson, Sunderland will need plenty of patience before they can enjoy Diarra’s best form. With AFCON taking place in January too, they may have to wait even longer than expected for their summer signing to make his mark.
