Dan Ballard issues ‘frustrating’ Sunderland injury update while on international duty
Sunderland defender Dan Ballard has missed several weeks of action but claims he feels “alright” after what he described as a “frustrating month”.
The Northern Ireland international will have the chance to play his first 90 minutes in over two months when his nation faces Belarus on Friday, 15 November.
Perhaps in good timing for Sunderland as they will likely need him for their trip to Millwall with five first-team players expected to miss the clash.
Ballard reflected on his return to fitness, in quotes reported by the Northern Echo (14 November): “I feel alright now. It’s been a frustrating month; I’ve not played too much football this season so it’s been stop-start so far, but I’m just happy to be back out there training and I feel ready to get some minutes now.
“I’ve been training for two or three weeks now and I got some minutes at the weekend with Sunderland. Even though it was only a few I’ve been running a lot, training a lot with the boys and I feel thereabouts now.”
Dan Ballard could be crucial for Sunderland against Millwall
With Trai Hume set to miss their encounter at the Den through suspension, Ballard will likely be called upon and Regis Le Bris will be praying that he gets through the break unscathed.
While the Frenchman will have several options to change his squad, Ballard is perhaps the most obvious change. Luke O’Nien will likely move over to right-back with Ballard slotting into his usual centre-back role alongside Chris Mepham.
However, his presence in the side will be felt most when dealing with the physicality that Millwall will pose.
There had been rumours about a potential move for Ballard in January (Sunday Mirror, 27 October pg 67) although any sanctioning of a deal looks unlikely from a Sunderland point of view with the club hoping to keep their best players to put them in the best position to fight for promotion.
Prior to the arrival of Chris Mepham, Ballard was one of the first names on the teamsheet for the Black Cats and despite featuring just five times, his importance can’t be overlooked.
In other Sunderland news, Portsmouth star Kusini Yengi has reflected on his start to life in the Championship while praising the Black Cats in the process.
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