ROAD TO RECOVERY: WHEN NORDI MUKIELE AND BRIAN BROBBEY RETURN FOR SUNDERLAND
Sunderland injury update: Read about Nordi Mukiele and Brian Brobbey’s absence and Bertrand Traoré’s timely return to training.
Sunderland have a packed week ahead, but they’ll be missing some important players along the way.
Régis Le Bris says both Nordi Mukiele and Brian Brobbey are out after picking up knocks during the 3-1 loss to Fulham. Mukiele’s dealing with a calf problem, and Brobbey’s got a groin issue. Neither injury is serious, but both guys will miss a few games. The schedule isn’t doing Sunderland any favours either: Bournemouth, Leeds United, and then either Port Vale or Bristol City, all in eight days.
Le Bris hopes to have Mukiele and Brobbey back when they take on Newcastle United next month, but it depends on how quickly they recover. Dennis Cirkin is also set to miss this stretch as he works back from a minor hamstring injury.
“With Nordi and Brian, it shouldn’t be too long,” Le Bris said. “We’re looking at something like two to four weeks, depending on how they respond. Dennis and Reinildo are both improving. We miss them, but they’re on the way back. Dennis could be back in about ten days, but it really depends on how he gets through the last stage of rehab.”
Romaine Mundle and Jocelin Ta Bi look set for longer spells out, as the club decides if they’ll need surgery. Mundle has a hamstring issue, and Ta Bi’s ankle is still causing trouble. Ta Bi actually arrived at Sunderland carrying that ankle injury and then got unlucky with a fresh knock against Fulham. If surgery is the answer, both players could be sidelined for quite a while.
“It’s a tough one for Romaine,” Le Bris said. “He could be out for a few weeks, maybe a month, maybe longer. We’re still waiting on some tests, but honestly, it doesn’t look great right now. We’re not even sure if it’s the same injury as before, but the early signs aren’t positive.
“Jocelin’s in a similar spot, though his injury’s different. He might need surgery, too. It’s too soon to say, but if that’s the case, he’ll also be out for weeks or longer. It’s just bad luck, really, a small kick, but it hit right where he’s most vulnerable.
“Still, he’s fitting in well with the squad, so I’m not worried about him mentally. He’s a little shy since he’s new, but he’s already making connections. He’s picking up English; his French is great, so he’s settling in fine.”
On the bright side, Bertrand Traoré is back in full training and could make the squad for Bournemouth. “Bertrand’s training again, so that’s good news for us.”
As for Bournemouth, they have their own problems. Andoni Iraola is worried about Lewis Cook, who missed their last match with a hamstring issue. “He felt something in training,” Iraola said. “We haven’t done the MRI yet, but it doesn’t seem too bad. Still, there’s definitely something there.”
Both Justin Kluivert and Ben Gannon-Doak are already out long-term, so Bournemouth aren’t exactly at full strength either.
SUNDERLAND CONDEMNS "VILE" RACIST ABUSE AIMED AT BRIAN BROBBEY AFTER SPURS WIN
Brian Brobbey targeted online! Sunderland and the Premier League unite against "vile" discrimination after Spurs win.
Sunderland called out the racist abuse aimed at Brian Brobbey on social media and made it clear they stand fully behind him.
Brobbey was targeted online right after Sunderland’s 1-0 win over Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday. On Monday, the club released a statement: “Sunderland condemns in the strongest possible terms the racist abuse directed at Brian Brobbey on social media following Sunday’s fixture against Tottenham. We stand firmly with Brian and offer him our full and unwavering support.”
Sadly, this isn’t the first time Sunderland players have had to deal with this kind of abuse this season. After February’s match against Fulham, Romaine Mundle received hateful messages online, and last month the Tyne-Wear derby had to be paused when someone in the crowd reportedly aimed abuse at Lutsharel Geertruida.
The club’s statement continued: “This isn’t an isolated event. The recent abuse aimed at Romaine Mundle and Lutsharel Geertruida shows just how often and how unacceptably this keeps happening, both at matches and on the internet. We’ve reported this latest incident to the Premier League, the social media platforms, and the police, and we expect them to act quickly against the people responsible. Racism is vile, and it doesn’t belong in football or anywhere else. We’ll keep calling it out, clearly and without hesitation, every time it happens. Football should be safe and welcoming for everyone, no exceptions.”
The Premier League is backing Brobbey as well. In a post on their X account, they said they’re “disgusted by the ongoing discrimination” players keep facing online. “We stand alongside Sunderland in strongly condemning the online racist abuse Brian Brobbey has received and have offered our full support to him and the club. We are disgusted by the ongoing discrimination players are facing on social media and are committed to working with clubs, authorities, law enforcement, and social media companies to address this issue, as well as supporting investigations to bring those responsible to justice.
Anyone found guilty of discrimination will face the toughest possible punishments: jail time, football bans, and even a criminal record.”
DAVID MOYES REVEALS "NERVES" AS EVERTON HUNT HISTORIC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUALIFICATION SPOT
David Moyes admits Everton's Champions League hunt is nerve-wracking. See the latest on the Toffees' battle for Europe.
David Moyes admits the idea of Everton making the Champions League this soon in their rebuild actually makes him “shake a wee bit.”
You look at the club now, and it's hard to believe where they were just 14 months ago. When Moyes returned, Everton looked beaten down from years of fighting to stay up. Suddenly, with only seven games left, they’re sitting eighth. That spot could mean Europa Conference League football, but after their win against Chelsea before the break, they’re now just three points off fourth. It’s wild to even talk about the Champions League, but it’s right there in reach.
Reporters put the question to him how does it feel to be this close? With Europe’s spots possibly extending down to fifth (or maybe even further, depending on how other English clubs do), Moyes wasn’t hiding his nerves: “It’s probably the best shot we’ve had in a long time. But when I hear ‘Champions League’? Makes me shake a wee bit, honestly. I’ve been lucky to manage in Europe’s other competitions lately, and if we do make it, I’m sure we’d be able to hold our own at certain stages. Still, the Champions League is just on another level.”
Everton’s next match at Brentford looks huge for their European dreams. Brentford beat them earlier in the season, and right now, both teams are level, separated only by goal difference.
Moyes is clearly enjoying this chapter. “Listen, Europe’s Europe. If someone had said at the start, ‘You’re going to get European football,’ we’d have snapped their hand off. It could be the tiddlywinks European cup, and we’d be up for it. Evertonians want the club back in those conversations. We’re getting attention for the new stadium, we’ve got a couple of England internationals getting noticed more, it’s a good time. If we do sneak into the Champions League, it’d be an unbelievable achievement. But honestly, no matter which competition we make, it’s still a big step forward for us.”
