A encouraging report prior to the match against Coventry suggested that a “unbelievable” Sunderland player would return from injury this month.
Sunderland wants to resume their winning ways.
Regis Le Bris’ Black Cats team hasn’t had the best of weeks despite taking a five-point lead at the top of the Championship standings.
The red card given to midfielder Jobe Bellingham last weekend made things more difficult for Sunderland, who were only able to draw 0-0 away to Queens Park Rangers. Le Bris’ team then failed to defeat Preston North End in Deepdale on Wednesday night, resulting in yet another draw.
The Black Cats’ next game is Saturday’s Championship visit to Coventry City, which provides a strong opportunity to resume winning ways. Sunderland may be playing them at the ideal moment after their weekend opponents unexpectedly fired manager Mark Robins earlier in the week.
Although Le Bris has injury concerns going into the game—they will also be missing Bellingham, who is still serving out his three-match suspension—a good update has finally been released on one absent player.
Sunderland’s “unbelievable” star is almost ready to return.
Le Bris stated ahead of Saturday’s match against Coventry [via The Sunderland Echo] that Sunderland custodian Anthony Patterson might return for the match against Millwall following the international break. The two teams will meet on 23 November at the Stadium of Light.
“Anthony won’t be available, we hope he will be back for Millwall because he will have two weeks to recover.”
Even though Le Bris has expressed his admiration for Simon Moore’s performance in Patterson’s absence, this is fantastic news for Sunderland. On Friday, he said: “I’m very happy for Simon, he has done very well.” He trains so well every day that he is prepared for the moment, making him a top professional with a top attitude. It benefits both him and our team.
However, Patterson has been a consistent player in goal for Sunderland, and he is without a doubt the team’s best custodian.
The Englishman, who is only 24 years old, has already made 134 appearances for the Black Cats and kept 43 clean sheets. Earlier this year, when he was temporarily in charge, Mike Dodds praised his skills, saying, “I have to give Patta [Patterson] a lot of credit because that was an incredible save. That, in my opinion, supports our assessment that he is among the league’s top goalkeepers.
Hopefully, Sunderland’s match against Coventry this weekend will mark the last time they must play without Patterson in the Championship before the end of the current campaign.
Between now and May, the Black Cats custodian will be crucial to his team’s promotion campaign, and if Le Bris’ team is to make it to the Premier League, he will need to put up some outstanding performances.
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