Sunderland’s three potential replacements for Reinildo Mandava as three-match ban looms
Regis Le Bris will have to shuffle his pack after a disruptive week at Sunderland.
The Black Cats pulled off a remarkable 1-1 draw at home to Aston Villa despite playing most of the match with 10 men on Sunday.
That is because Reinildo Mandava was sent off for kicking Matty Cash while falling to the ground from the right-back’s push at the Stadium of Light.
With Reinildo set to receive a three-match ban for violent conduct, Le Bris must now decide who will be given the opportunity to replace him against Nottingham Forest.
Arthur Masuaku would be the obvious replacement for Reinildo Mandava
Given that Reinildo’s sending off against Aston Villa was classed as violent conduct, he will now miss a stretch of important matches.
The left-back has delivered some encouraging performances on Wearside, but has now given away a penalty and has been red-carded, although neither incident proved costly.
In his absence, Arthur Masuaku could be the man called upon to fill the void and would cause minimal disruption to Le Bris’ lineup, given that he is a natural left-back.
- The defender made 128 appearances for West Ham
- He has 106 Premier League appearances to his name
- Delivered 11 goal contributions last term
However, the former Hammer is more of an attacking defender, meaning that if his manager favours a more defensive approach, then he may be utilised as a substitute once more.
The 31-year-old made his league debut for Sunderland against the Villans, having made his first start in the Carabao Cup defeat to Huddersfield Town.
- Read more: David Moyes once dubbed Sunderland’s new signing Arthur Masuaku ‘despicable’ – Here’s why
Dan Ballard could make up a back three for Sunderland
Ballard started the Premier League season emphatically, with a goal and a defensive masterclass against West Ham United.
However, as has often happened on Wearside, the Northern Ireland international suffered a groin injury that kept him out of action.
The defender returned to the field as a substitute against Villa and played a significant part in the Black Cats’ second-half onslaught.
While Ballard will not slot in at left-back, he could make up a back three alongside Nordi Mukiele and Omar Alderete if Le Bris mixes up his formation.
Indeed, with Habib Diarra also out with injury, playing three centre-backs could be the perfect tonic away from home against Forest.
Lutsharel Geertruida can be versatile for Sunderland
Le Bris has already spoken of Geertruida’s versatility, meaning he could be in line to play in the absence of Reinildo.
While the 25-year-old has primarily featured as a right-back during his career, he has played across the back four as well as in midfield.
Although Geertruida has only appeared for a total of 15 minutes this campaign, he has shown that he is capable on the ball.
Furthermore, the former RB Leipzig man is a similar profile to Reinildo, meaning that Le Bris would not need to tinker to accommodate him.
Losing Reinildo will certainly be a blow for Sunderland, but with multiple adequate options, Reinildo’s suspension should not be an issue.
Sign up for the Mackem News WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking Sunderland AFC news sent straight to your phone.