Sunderland AFC dealt "very serious" blow after Burnley match | OneFootball

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris admitted he is concerned about how serious Chris Mepham's injury could be

On a disappointing Burnley evening in which Sunderland missed two penalties in a 0-0 draw at Turf Moor, perhaps the most sobering aspect of the night was seeing Chris Mepham hobble off injured.

The Bournemouth loanee has been a mainstay in the Sunderland side of late and is widely regarded as one of the first names on the teamsheet for Regis Le Bris.

The Black Cats are now facing the prospect of being without him for a number of weeks though, after he limped off in the closing stages with a hamstring injury.

Hamstring strains are typically among the worst footballing injuries to recover from, but Sunderland will be hoping the diagnosis isn't too severe when they find out more on Saturday.

With roughly four months of the season remaining, any serious injury suffered now could be season-ending for a player, and with hamstring issues typically not being ones that recover in days, Sunderland face the prospect of being without one of thier star defenders.

Le Bris will hope that the assessment of his injury isn't a serious one, but the Sunderland boss issued a worrying diagnosis at full-time, claiming that they'll have to wait and see on the severity of his injury.

Speaking to the press after the game, Le Bris said: "We don’t know at the minute so we will see tomorrow (Saturday).

"We are not sure if it could be very serious, we will see."

Le Bris will certainly be hoping it isn't serious, as Mepham has pretty much been an ever present when available since he moved to Sunderland, and in the thick of a promotion race, the timing is far from ideal.

Fortunately for the Black Cats though, Dan Ballard himself returned from injury at Turf Moor, so they at least have a ready made replacement.

Not that there's ever a good time for a player to get injured, but if you were forced to choose a time when a player was to pick up a knock, then within the transfer window would be the time every manager would choose.

Sunderland have the opportunity to replace Mepham this month if need be, particularly in the midst of the promotion race with question marks over how fit Ballard currently is.