Sunderland injury news: Black Cats' nightmare international break continues with another hamstring setback

Sunderland defender Dan Ballard has picked up a hamstring injury whilst on international duty for Northern Ireland.

The 27-year-old has been a key part of a good start to the Premier League season for the Black Cats, who played out a 5-3 defeat by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium prior to the three-week pause.

Netting a sensational hat-trick in that fixture, Sunderland hero Brian Brobbey sustained a hamstring problem during the first half of the Netherlands' 1-1 draw with Germany in UEFA Nations League A on Thursday night.

The target man has since been ruled out of the three remaining Oranje matches this window and has returned to the North-East of England, where head coach Regis Le Bris is waiting nervously for his international stars to arrive home.

Playing their first match of the new League B season, Michael O'Neill's side enjoyed a last-minute success at the base of Georgia on Friday night, when Fulham midfielder Shea Charles scored in added time.

Sunderland, Northern Ireland suffer Ballard blow

In the closing stages of the match against Georgia, Northern Ireland's Ballard was chasing a ball down the line but soon pulled up with a hamstring issue, bringing the fixture to a halt in the final stages.

The 27-year-old received medical treatment on the pitch in Tbilisi but was ultimately unable to continue for the final few minutes, relying on the support of the national team's medical staff to exit the pitch.

Speaking post-match, Northern Ireland boss O'Neill provided a worrying update on Ballard's injury, saying: "You saw the nature of how he pulled up."

"It is a hamstring obviously. We will scan it tomorrow but he is not going to be available for the next three games certainly.”

As a result, Ballard has been ruled out of Northern Ireland's remaining fixtures of the September/October international window against Hungary, Ukraine and Georgia at National Stadium in Belfast.

How many games could Ballard miss?

Playing every single minute of Premier League action for Sunderland so far this season, Ballard would be a major absentee for Le Bris's side heading into their busy October schedule in two weeks' time.

The Black Cats faithful will now wait with bated breath for the results of the centre-back's scan on the issue, set to reveal the grade of the strain that the 27-year-old sustained in Georgia on Friday night.

A minor strain could see Ballard return to action when Sunderland face Brighton & Hove Albion on October 10, however, a more serious injury could mean that the defender is sidelined for many weeks or even months.