Every Sunderland match Reinildo will miss after red card vs Aston Villa
Sunderland had to overcome the steepest of obstacles to secure a crucial point against Aston Villa.
Regis Le Bris’ side were reduced to 10 men after Reinildo was sent off for his foul on Matty Cash.
Cash then came back to haunt the Black Cats by scoring Villa’s first goal of the season before Wilson Isidor pulled one back for Sunderland.
While the Wearsiders will take the 1-1 draw, they will be without their left-back for a stretch of games.
Reinildo could miss a minimum of three matches for Sunderland
Reinildo conceded a penalty against Brentford and has continued to cause problems at the Stadium of Light.
The defender arrived on Wearside from Atletico Madrid and became the first player from Mozambique to play in the Premier League.
While he has enjoyed a positive start to life in the North East, he has now paid the price for his latest mistake.
Villa right-back Cash appeared to push the 31-year-old on the touchline before Reinildo kicked out at the Poland international while falling to the ground.
Indeed, the sending off will likely be considered as violent conduct, meaning he would miss Sunderland’s next three matches.
- 27 September: Nottingham Forest (A)
- 4 October: Man United (A)
- 18 October: Wolves (H)
However, former FIFA referee Keith Hackett believes Reinildo could face a further disciplinary charge and additional sanction.
Indeed, the FA may increase the 31-year-old’s ban if they deem the incident was exceptionally serious.
How will Regis Le Bris cope without Reinildo?
The sending off was not only a headache for Le Bris during the game, but he will now be forced to make changes going forward.
The left-back position is a bit of a problem area for the manager as Dennis Cirkin and Leo Hjelde are both sidelined with injury.
However, he does have Arthur Masuaku to fill the void, and he will surely be the most likely to benefit from the situation.
Another possibility could be to shift Nordi Mukiele to left-back, although he has performed so well in the hub of defence that Le Bris could be reluctant to shift him.
If he did do that, then it would mean that Dan Ballard could return to the defence, which must only be regarded as a positive.
Sunderland will be pleased with the point and the performance against Villa, but must now plan for life without Reinildo.
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