Sunderland face Millwall at the Stadium of Light in the league on Saturday afternoon, with the Black Cats hoping to bounce back to their 3-0 drubbing away to Coventry City before the international break. Le Bris’ side also disappointedly drew with Preston at home previous to the clash at the CBS Arena.
During the clash in Coventry, left-back Cirkin was withdrawn in the second half after appearing to pick up an injury during the drubbing. The former Tottenham man was then withdrawn from England’s U21 squad over the break after being called up for the first time by Lee Carsley.
Right-back Hume was called up to Michael O’Neill’s senior Northern Ireland squad during the two-week international break but only played one game of the scheduled double-header before being released. The Northern Ireland manager confirmed that the 23-year-old had been struggling with a hip injury at Sunderland for some time.
However, ahead of the game against Millwall in the Championship, Le Bris provided some clarity on the situation surrounding Sunderland’s injured players: The head coach said that Cirkin would l be 2-3 weeks more after suffering a hamstring injury while adding that Leo Hjelde also won’t be available for Millwall either, leaving him without a recognised senior left-back.
Le Bris also said that Hume would likely play through his hip issue and should be okay for Saturday against Millwall while confirming that Salis Abdul Samed would not be available. The Sunderland head coach also confirmed that Enzo Le Fee will likely be next week and will not feature against Alex Neil’s side.
“Yeah, probably two or three weeks more,” Le Bris said when asked about Cirkin. “The season was like that, with many injuries and opportunities for other players. So, to manage a situation like that,” Le Bris also revealed that Hjelde would also miss the clash, adding, “He shouldn’t be available for Saturday. Next week.” Le Bris also joked after confirming that Ballard was also still a few weeks away: “We’ll play with ten players. We’ll try. Then we’ll find a solution. With versatile players.”
Le Bris added when asked if Hume should be available: “Yes, probably. He managed this pain for a long time.” Le Bris stated, “Two or three weeks,” when asked about Samed. On Le Fee, Le Bris stated, “The two next ones should be… We’ll have Enzo and Leo next week.”
Asked if Jaydon Danns would play for Sunderland this season, Le Bris added: “We’re not at this point right now, but the season is running, so it would be difficult. We don’t know exactly.” Ahmed Abdullahi also remains absent, as does Trey Ogunsuyi.
Le Bris boosted by Hume availability despite left-back blow
Hume has been ever-present under Le Bris since the Frenchman’s arrival last summer and has started 36 of Sunderland’s 38 games in the Champions Leagueso far this season. The defender missed the reverse fixture against Millwall earlier in November at The Den after picking up five yellow cards and serving a one-match suspension. Hume was also rested for the game against Norwich in December at the Stadium of Light but came on in the second half.
As well as his solid and dependable defensive work, Hume has also provided in an attacking sense under Le Bris during the 2024-25 campaign. The former Linfield man has provided six assists to teammates during the current campaign, also netting once. His total of seven goal contributions places him joint-third for Sunderland behind only Wilson Isidor (14), Eliezer Mayenda (12), and Patrick Roberts (8), and level with Romaine Mundle and Jobe.
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