Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris could be without striker Brian Brobbey for several weeks after the international break.
Sunderland have come out on the losing side so far in the international break, with two of Regis Le Bris' most crucial stars suffering potentially serious hamstring injuries.
Earlier in the week, Brian Brobbey was forced off injured for the Netherlands during Xavi's side's clash against Germany, with the Sunderland striker in agony as he limped off the field.
Le Bris' misery was compounded 24 hours later, with centre-back Dan Ballard suffering a hamstring injury in added time for Northern Ireland in his nation's eventual win over Georgia, which will see the Sunderland defender sidelined for the rest of the international break.
Although Le Bris would clearly hate to lose his top goalscorer and one of his best central defenders, the most concerning one of the injured duo to be out for would be Brobbey, given that Sunderland have several stellar options akin to Nordi Mukiele, Kevin Danso and Omar Alderete, to negate the loss of Ballard in central defence.
With Brobbey potentially set to be sidelined for several weeks as Sunderland supporters nervously await a diagnosis of his hamstring concern, the form of his fellow Black Cats forward Wilson Isidor during the international break will help soften the striking blow.
Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor celebrates scoring for Haiti (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)Sunderland Striker Wilson Isidor Shines For Haiti During International Break
Brobbey has retained his first-choice starting number nine role for Sunderland this season, but before his outstanding hat-trick in the 5-3 defeat to Manchester City in the Black Cats' final outing before the break, Isidor had led the Dutchman in the goalscoring tally.
Earlier in the campaign, Isidor netted an emphatic winner against Fulham in a superlative substitute display after replacing Brobbey on the 65-minute mark, and getting off the mark to secure Sunderland's first win of the season just ten minutes later.
However, Isidor's finest performance of the season to date has came during the international break for Haiti, with the Sunderland star notching two assists and netting a 90+8' winner against Trinidid and Tobago to spearhead his nation to a CONCACAF Nations League group win.
Sunderland ace Isidor enjoyed the most touches of any player in their opponent's box (seven), took the most shots (six), and enjoyed three direct goal contributions to play a pivotal role in Haiti's victory.
Although the worry over the Black Cats number nine being sidelined will be a negative aspect of the international break for Le Bris to contend with, the bullish striker's injury has came at the same time as Sunderland's second-choice striker Isidor enjoys his best performance of the campaign yet to timely cushing the Brobbey blow.
| Sunderland player | Goals scored so far this season (all comps) |
|---|---|
| Brian Brobbey | 3 |
| Enzo Le Fee | 2 |
| Wilson Isidor | 1 |
| Nilson Angulo | 1 |
| Chemsdine Talbi | 1 |
Clearly, if Brobbey is sidelined for several weeks with a hamstring strain, the goalscoring pressure up-front will fall on the shoulders of Isidor, given that Le Bris' only other option for a number nine is 18-year-old prodigy Juan Riquelme Angulo, who signed late on deadline day and is yet to make a senior appearance for Sunderland or in English football altogether.
However, if Isidor's standout performance on Friday evening in the international break is anything to go by, the Black Cats' initial fears over a period on the sidelines for Brobbey may not become as derailing to Sunderland's season as first feared.
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