Régis Le Bris on Dan Ballard return and Sunderland injuries after York City win | OneFootball

Régis Le Bris says Dan Ballard will return to Sunderland action on the club’s upcoming USA tour. According to Sunderland Echo, he also described Romaine Mundle’s absence at York as precautionary.

Ballard had ankle surgery earlier this year after his 2025/26 season ended early following a red card in the 1-1 draw with Wolves. He has trained on Wearside over the last fortnight but did not feature in the 5-1 win over York City at the LNER Community Stadium.

Le Bris said Ballard will join full training next week and will get his first minutes in America. Mundle trained last week and was fit, but the staff felt it was too soon to play after his surgery. He suffered two major hamstring injuries last season, so caution remains the approach.

Anthony Patterson was left out while his long-term future is resolved. Championship clubs are interested but none has met Sunderland’s valuation, and he has been training at the Academy of Light. He appears highly unlikely to travel to the USA.

Leo Hjelde will be assessed in the coming days after going off in the second half at York. The club did not want to take risks, and he reported minor pain and discomfort in his right knee.

Source: Sunderland Echo