Sunderland centre-back Dan Ballard could be sidelined for several weeks with a hamstring injury he suffered for Northern Ireland against Georgia.
Sunderland defender Dan Ballard will be sidelined for the remainder of Northern Ireland's fixtures in the international break following his worrying hamstring injury in his nation's 1-0 win over Georgia on Friday evening.
Just 24 hours after Sunderland star Brian Brobbey suffered a suspected hamstring injury during the international break for the Netherlands against Germany, his teammate Ballard did so as well for his national side.
Sunderland suffered a worrying injury blow with Ballard when the imposing central defender pulled up in agony after controlling the ball under pressure from Georgian forward Georges Mikautadze in added time, and immediately held his right hamstring in seemingly serious pain.
Northern Ireland went on to win the UEFA Nations League clash courtesy of a 90+9-minute Shea Charles winner, of which Ballard's Sunderland teammate and compatriot Trai Hume provided the assist for, but the Black Cats star's worrying injury concern was the headline take in Stadium of Light circles.
As Sunderland now play a nervous waiting game to discover how long Ballard will be sidelined for when the ongoing three-week international break concludes, Northern Ireland boss Michael O'Neill has issued an early update on the defender's injury woes.
Sunderland defender Daniel Ballard went off injured for Northern Ireland in Georgia clash (REUTERS) Northern Ireland Boss Issues Dan Ballard Injury Update Amid Sunderland Worry
Following Northern Ireland's 1-0 win over Georgia, O'Neill confirmed that Ballard will be out of action for at least the rest of the international break run, and will therefore miss his national side's clashes against Hungary, Ukraine and the second Georgia clash.
O'Neill said: "You saw the nature of how he (Dan Ballard) pulled up, it's a hamstring.
"We'll scan him tomorrow, but he's certainly not going to be available for the next three games."
From a Sunderland perspective, the injury to Ballard has occurred at an extremely untimely moment in the Black Cats' opening weeks of the season, with a run of testing fixtures in both the Premier League and Europa League upcoming for Regis Le Bris' side.
Sunderland face the likes of Brighton & Hove Albion, Bournemouth and Leeds United in the Premier League following the international break, as well as away trips to SCU Torreense and Lech Poznan in Europe.
Regarding the Northern Ireland international, Ballard was in outstanding defensive form in the Premier League for Sunderland before the break, winning the most defensive duels of any player in the top flight (45).
Unfortunately for Ballard, yet another injury concern has blighted some excellent form for the Sunderland defender, which has been an unwanted theme throughout his Black Cats career since he signed from Arsenal in the summer of 2022.
Subjectively speaking, it is rare to find a Sunderland fan who enjoys the international break, and the hiatus of red-and-white action has been made even more frustrating with the potential periods on the sidelines for the crucial duo of Ballard and Brobbey.
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