Sunderland have suffered a significant injury blow – but Michael Beale believes he has the options to manage it
Michael Beale feels Sunderland has options to cover for Dennis Cirkin after the full defender was out for three months due to hamstring surgery, and has hinted that Jenson Seelt and Nectar Triantis could benefit.
Cirkin’s injury dealt a further blow to Beale’s defense depth, as Niall Huggins was ruled out for the rest of the season with a significant knee injury. Sunderland are likely to seek to internal remedies to deal with the problem at this point, and Aji Alese’s return to fitness has come at an appropriate moment.
Sunderland’s switch to a back three has already paid off, with Jenson Seelt impressing in last month’s 1-0 triumph over Leeds United. That is likely to be Beale’s first port of call if Trai Hume or Alese are unavailable, but the head coach has stated that it is something they must handle if they suffer another injury.
“We’ve got Aji who is playing there at the moment and Trai Hume, and we’ve got Timmy Pembele as well,” Beale went on to say.
“We’re extremely thrilled about Timmy, but he clearly needs to improve his fitness because he’s been out for so long.
I think when everyone is available we’ve got fantastic options but obviously losing the two is going to make us think.
“It’s a long month and I think we’ve got another three games before the end of the window so if we were to pick up another injury then for sure [we’d look to the market], but at the same time with young Jenson and Nectar [Triantis], we’ve got the option to go to a back three as well.
“I’ve been absolutely delighted with Jenson and Nectar since I came in, they’ve been two big surprises for me.”
Beale also stated that he wants to give Hume a prolonged run in his preferred right back position if feasible, after injuries forced him to play on the left earlier in the season.
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