Sunderland have been dealt a fresh injury blow ahead of the final run-in, with Jan Kirchhoff ruled out for up to six weeks.
The German was on the edge of a competitive return after recovering from a knee problem , but he’s suffered a reoccurrence of the injury and is expected to miss up to six weeks.
Kirchhoff, 26, last played against Chelsea in December 2016 and the midfielder’s expected return has been heralded by several of his team-mates, but he now faces more frustration and more time in the treatment room.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s game against Burnley at the Stadium of Light, David Moyes admitted the injury comes as a bitter blow.
“It’s not good,” said the Scot when asked about the Black Cats’ injury outlook.
“At the end of the Manchester City game I felt this break would give us a chance to get Kirchhoff and couple of others back, but unfortunately Jan has suffered a reoccurrence of his knee problem.”
He continued: “It looks like it’s going to keep him out for a minimum of six weeks.
“He came back and played for the reserves against Manchester United two weeks ago, but his knee swelled up immediately after and he only trained for a couple of days before pulling out.
“Since then he’s been back to see the surgeon and I don’t think there’s any damage, I just think it’s going to take longer than we’d first hoped for it to heal.
“It’s a lateral meniscus on the outside and it just takes a little bit more time, but we’re running out of time here and we need the injured players back."
Moyes also provided an update on Victor Anichebe who is currently stateside on his road to recovery.
“We’ve sent Victor to work with a specialist in America and he should be back shortly – this weekend or next weekend I think.
“He’s running and he’s back on it so we felt that sending him to someone who can work one-on-one with him constantly [was the best option], and it looks like it’s working.”
He added: “My aim was to get him back for as much of April as I can, and I can’t guarantee that at the moment but we’re doing everything we can.”