Dan Ballard: Everything we know about Sunderland star’s injury, including return timeline
Dan Ballard’s hamstring injury is looking more likely to keep him out of Sunderland’s game against Tottenham upon the return of league action.
Despite being called up to Northern Ireland’s team for their crucial international double-header, the centre-back wasn’t in the squad that lost to Italy on Thursday.
Many Mackem fans may have though that the call-up was an indication that his injury issue was not as serious as initially feared.
However, it seems like Regis Le Bris could be waiting a little while longer for the defender to get back to full fitness.
Ballard has been immense for Sunderland this season, but any hamstring injury is always a problem.
Dan Ballard injury severity after update from local media
Ballard will have felt annoyed that he was unable to participate in the Tyne-Wear derby win over Newcastle last time out, as he watched his teammates become heroes for a second time this season.
Le Bris has been hopeful that the 26-year-old will return to full fitness in time for the Spurs, but that now seems doubtful.
According to the Sunderland Echo on Saturday, Ballard indeed remains a doubt for the Spurs match, and has suggested that his hamstring problem “is not a minor one”.
Considering Ballard sustained his injury problem after the Brighton loss, it’s now been around two weeks since he picked up the issue.
| Type of hamstring injury | Severity | Time to recover |
| Grade 1 | Mild strain | 1-3 weeks |
| Grade 2 | Moderate strain | 4-8 weeks |
| Grade 3 | Severe strain/rupture | 3 months + |
If he is not able to compete against Spurs, then he will be approaching the four-week mark of absence, which suggests he has a grade 2 hamstring problem.
Le Bris and his staff won’t want to risk the defender, even if he is fit, so that means he may return the game week after.
This would see Ballard back for an away trip to Aston Villa on Sunday, 19 April, but it could still be a longer wait than that.
Just how important is Ballard to Sunderland?
Sunderland supporters will want to see Ballard back as soon as possible to help the Black Cats finish as strongly as possible in the Premier League.
As seen in the graphic below, Ballard’s average Sofascore rating of 6.97 represents just how good he’s been under Le Bris this campaign.
Many were doubting his ability to make the set up to top-flight football, but he’s proven them all wrong.
Sunderland now just faces an anxious wait, as Northern Ireland’s next game against Wales on Tuesday could be another indication of where Ballard is at.
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