‘He will be a miss’ – Kevin Phillips delivers verdict on potential Sunderland injury blow

Sunderland legend Kevin Phillips has warned that defender Dan Ballard will be a major miss if sidelined by an injury sustained on international duty. Ballard picked up an issue in stoppage time during Northern Ireland's 1-0 win against Georgia and left the stadium on crutches. The 27-year-old center-back has returned to Sunderland for assessment and was ruled out of his country's remaining fixtures.

Ballard has played every minute of Sunderland's Premier League campaign across five matches this season. While Phillips highlighted squad depth options such as Kevin Danso, Omar Alderete, and Nordi Mukiele, he noted that losing one of the club's top performers is not ideal.