Sunderland’s injury curse has returned with a vengeance ahead of Sunday’s season finale at champions Chelsea - with 11 players ruled out of the visit to Stamford Bridge.
Wahbi Khazri (knee) and Papy Djilobodji (thigh) pulled out of Tuesday’s trip to Arsenal with knocks, and since the trip to the Emirates Lamine Kone and Didier Ndong (both dead leg) have joined the casualty list.
George Honeyman (back), Jason Denayer (thigh), Steven Pienaar (ankle), Victor Anichebe (hamstring) were already ruled out, as were long-term casualties Jan Kirchhoff (knee), and Paddy McNair and Duncan Watmore (both knee ligaments).
Jordan Ayew of Swansea City vies with Lamine Kone of Sunderland (Photo: Getty Images Europe)
Boss David Moyes said: “My biggest problem is that we’ve got 11 senior players out injured, which I’m nearly back to the worst time of the season.
“We’ll have to put a patchwork team out to try and get a positive performance.
“I don’t want to lose, I certainly don’t want us to be embarrassed, that’s for sure.”
With so many players injury, Moyes has limited options but he could play Jack Rodwell as a centre-back in place of Kone, with Darron Gibson coming into midfield in place of Ndong.
Meanwhile, Moyes has revealed a Football Association probe into his “slap” comments to a female BBC reporter is ongoing after he requested a personal hearing, which was held on Thursday.
Reading from a prepared statement, he said: “The matter has not been determined as the commission is going to hear further legal comment from the parties.”
- Chroniclelive