Romaine Mundle
Sunderland’s head coach, Regis Le Bris, has confirmed that winger Romaine Mundle will miss the start of the Premier League season following surgery on his hamstring. Mundle, who suffered a recurrence of a previous injury during training, underwent an operation in an attempt to resolve the issue permanently. The Black Cats are uncertain about the full extent of the injury, but Mundle is expected to be unavailable for the season opener. Additionally, Sunderland has already announced that Luke O’Nien, Leo Hjelde, Dennis Cirkin, and Aji Alese will miss the first three games of the season.
Regis Le Bris said: “Romaine has had surgery on his hamstring. It’s a real shame because Romaine worked really well through the summer. We decided to go for a conservative treatment, I think it was the best option when the advice from the specialists arrived. But at the end he got this injury after a sprint in a training session and now we have to wait. We don’t have an exact timeframe yet but it will be short [for the start of the season], for sure. We’ll know the full extent a little later.”
Sunderland is actively working on securing a deal for Sassuolo forward Armand Lauriente to fill the gap left by Mundle’s absence. Lauriente, who has experience playing on the left wing, was undergoing a medical examination on Saturday, with a £17.5 million fee agreed between the clubs. If all goes according to plan, Lauriente is expected to sign a five-year contract.
In the recent 1-1 draw against Sevilla at Estadio Algarve, Sunderland’s Anthony Patterson, Chris Rigg, and Nectar Triantis were absent. However, Le Bris reassured that their absence was not due to injuries but rather minor overloads that needed management during pre-season.
Le Bris added: “In pre-season there are always cases where you don’t have injuries but maybe some small overloads that you have to manage. This was the case today with Anthony, with Chris [Rigg] and Nectar [Triantis]. There are no worries for them.”
Despite the draw, Sunderland showed promise with Enzo Le Fee’s first-half goal giving them a lead, although a youthful side conceded a late equalizer by Ruben Vargas. The match served as a valuable preparation for the upcoming campaign.
Romaine Mundle expressed his disappointment over the injury but remained optimistic about his recovery.
Mundle said: “Sometimes it’s hard to find the positives in situations like these but without a doubt I’ll be back better physically. Surgery was a success and the road to recovery begins now. Although it has been a difficult period for me over the last few days, this is only a minor setback and I will be back better than before. Lastly, I just want to thank Rowena Johnson, Ernest Schilders, my teammates and staff for their unwavering support and dedication.”
As Sunderland prepares for the new season, the team is hopeful that the addition of Lauriente will bolster their attacking options in Mundle’s absence.
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