Régis Le Bris says Dan Ballard to return on US tour after York City win | OneFootball

Régis Le Bris said Dan Ballard will return during Sunderland’s upcoming US tour after a 5-1 win at York City.

Sunderland began their 2026/27 campaign at the LNER Community Stadium on Saturday afternoon. According to Sunderland Echo, Ballard had ankle surgery earlier this year after a red card in last season’s 1-1 draw with Wolves ended his campaign early.

Le Bris said: "Dan Ballard will join full training sessions next week, which is a good sign and he will get his first game time in America". He confirmed Romaine Mundle’s absence was purely precautionary after two major hamstring injuries last season, adding: "Romaine trained last week and was fit, but it was a bit too early [to play] after the surgery".

Anthony Patterson was omitted while his long-term future is resolved. There is interest from a number of Championship clubs, but none have met Sunderland’s valuation. He is training at the Academy of Light and appears highly unlikely to travel to the US.

Leo Hjelde will be assessed in the coming days after going off in the second half. Le Bris said: "We didn't want to take risks, so he felt a small pain and discomfort in his right knee".

Source: Sunderland Echo