INJURY RUNDOWN

Regis Le Bris has revealed that Dennis Cirkin has suffered an injury setback and needs a 'real period of rest'. He also gave the latest update on the rest of Sunderland's injured group...

BALLARD BACK SOON

“Dan should be back for Aston Villa. It's a bit longer than expected for the others."

CIRKIN

"For Dennis, we have to wait a bit. He didn't heal completely after his wrist injury and he had an issue with his knee as well. So he needs to rest a bit. We have decided to step back really. We have decided to give him a real period of rest so that he can reset and get ready to reconnect with the squad. That will give him the best chance of getting back to a point where he can perform.”

LO9/ HJELDE/ ALESE

"Luke should be ready around Aston Villa. Leo struggled with his achilles, so it's a bit longer than expected as well He had the surgery for both achilles, he worked hard last season to be connected with the squad, even if it was painful. But now, it's like Dennis, he has to rest completely to be able to connect with the squad later. Aji is close to coming back but after a long period without playing, it's still tough to reconnect with the level. So we'll have to wait a bit.”

DEADLINE DAY THREE

“I don't know for Bertrand, because Bertrand was with his national team during this period. So we'll see this afternoon. For the two others, they seem okay. Probably not ready for 90 minutes right now, but they should be ready quickly, I think.”