Sunderland boss issues hugely concerning injury update after Niall Huggins setback

Sunderland boss Michael Beale has confirmed that Niall Huggins appears to have suffered another serious injury and could be facing a long spell on the sidelines.

Huggins looked to have put his recent injury issues behind him in an outstanding start to the current campaign, cementing his place in the starting XI and recapturing his form from the start of his Sunderland career. The full back was stretchered off in the closing stages of the 3-0 defeat against Coventry City and left the pitch in visible discomfort. Sunderland have not yet revealed the nature of the injury but Beale was clear that he anticipates it being confirmed as a significant one.

It leaves Beale with a major dilemma over the festive period in a position where options are currently limited, though Beale's overriding emotion was disappointment for Huggins.

"We'll have to wait for a scan on it but the early indications are that it's not a good one," Beale said. The game is really cruel because Niall has been having a fantastic season and certainly doesn't deserve what we might think, which is a long-term injury.

"Our options are obviously a bit limited in the full back areas, we may have to bring one of those guys who hasn't been back long into the team. With the amount of games we've got, everyone is going to have to bite down on the gumshield and we need to come out and show a different face at Hull. Good teams aren't just good with the football.

"We know we can move Trai across, Aji and Pembele played 45 minutes in the U21 game the other night. Dennis has trained three days this week, we know that Jenson can move out there and obvious we have the option of moving to a back three as we did against Leeds.

"But we're losing who I think has had an outstanding season, and a player who I was really looking forward to working with. I'm bitterly disappointing for him."

Beale is hoping that Alex Pritchard may be available for the Boxing Day trip to Hull City after missing the Coventry City defeat with a sickness bug. Luis Hemir was also absent from the squad with illness and Beale said that given the schedule coming up, he could not afford to take any risks in exposing the rest of the squad.

"I'll have to get an update tonight," Beale said of Pritchard.

"The problem is when you have two players go down with a sickness bug and you've got so many games close together, you can't take the risk. If it's Saturday to Saturday... but when the games are so close together and you're travelling and staying in hotels, you're trying to minimise the risk of it spreading within the group."