Steve Bruce has revealed that Sunderland AFC look likely to finish the season without a first team striker.
On loan striker Danny Welbeck pulled up holding his hamstring in the first half of the weekend’s victory over Wigan, and he could well have kicked his last football in the red and white stripes of the Black Cats. Welbeck had been a doubt all week but Bruce in his wisdom decide to risk playing him and the worst outcome hit as the player went down to the floor signalling to the bench that he was in trouble.
Chairman Niall Quinn has made no secret of the desire to sign the striker on a full contract, but the best Sunderland could probably hope for is getting him on another loan deal, it all really depends on Manchester United and their dealings this summer.
Asamoah Gyan also pulled up in similar fashion to Welbeck later on in the game, leaving midfield pair Stephanie Sessegnon and Jordon Henderson to head up the team, and didn’t do a bad job scoring three goals between the two of them.
Bruce does have options especially now with Sessegnon and Henderson proving they can do the stuff up front, utility player Kieran Richardson has also played upfront and scored in a forward role. One of Sunderland’s most experienced players Steed Malbranque could move forward and youngster Ryan Noble who is a striker although does not have many senior games under his belt to be throw in at the deep end.
After scans and tests today on the pair Sunderland boss Steve Bruce said "We're unlikely to have Gyan and Welbeck for the rest of the season, it was nice to win, but we're training with 13 fit players now."
"The problem with Ryan (Noble) is that he hasn't played a lot of football, and he's got a youth team game tomorrow."
"I will look at it, because the one area we did do well and we played very well at the start of the season, was when we had Steed Malbranque off the front, and he gives us something different.
"In my mind, we scored three with Malbranque and Sessegnon up front, so maybe that's the way we'll go."