Journalist Phil Smith says this sidelined Sunderland player could miss the bulk of 2024 if his injury proves to be more significant than first thought.
Sunderland have had another torrid week on the injury front.
Ahead of their Championship clash vs QPR on Saturday, Nazariy Rusyn has been ruled out, and with no timeframe on a potential return either.
He joins a horde of players on the sidelines at Sunderland, with Jenson Seelt another who’s recently picked up an injury.
The club announced that Seelt would miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury sustained in the 4-2 defeat vs Southampton last weekend.
Phil Smith says Jenson Seelt could miss bulk of 2024 after knee injury
Now speaking ahead of the QPR clash on Saturday, Sunderland Echo journalist Phil Smith gave the latest on Seelt, saying:
“A really strange one in that he played 90 minutes against Southampton last weekend, didn’t report any issues until the next morning, when his knee had basically completely swollen, spoke to and went to see Sunderland’s physio staff obviously, and they could see straight away that there was a fairly big problem. He’s been to see a specialist who’s basically confirmed he won’t be able to play again this season.
“We still don’t know exactly how long he’ll be out for because he needs to go for some further consultations to see if he needs surgery. If he doesn’t need surgery, that’s the best case scenario, then he should be able to return for pre-season.”
Smith added:
“If he does need surgery, and unfortunately that’s still a possibility, then I think he’ll probably be ruled out for much of the rest of the calendar year, which would be a huge blow for such a young player.”
Jenson Seelt’s Sunderland career so far
Seelt, 20, joined Sunderland on a permanent deal from PSV last summer.
He’s since racked up 17 Championship appearances for the Black Cats and has gradually worked his way into starting contention.
Since Mike Dodds replaced Michael Beale, Seelt has started every game, looking strong in the 1-0 defeat vs Leicester City in particular.
He’s shown his ability to play as either a right-back or a centre-back.
Mike Dodds facing defender crisis for QPR
As much as Seelt’s injury blow is a devastating one for him, it’s also devastating news for the club and for Dodds.
For the game against QPR at the Stadium of Light, it looks like Dodds has not a single, natural centre-back available.
Dan Ballard is injured and facing a late fitness check vs QPR, Luke O’Nien is suspended, and now Seelt is also injured, joining fellow defenders Dennis Cirkin, Aji Alese, and Niall Huggins on the sidelines.
So unless Ballard is fit to play against QPR, Dodds has a very serous issue to contend with.
It looks like Trai Hume will have to play in the middle of what will surely be a back-four, with Le Hjelde coming into the middle, leaving both full-back spots open for what will surely be rare starts for Timothee Pembele and Callum Styles.
Kick off vs QPR is at 3pm.
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