And with the Black Cats’ defensive problems mounting, Dan Ballard has also been ruled out of Saturday’s home game with Brentford.
Huggins was substituted at the half-time interval at the Stadium of Light tonight as Sunderland lost to Huddersfield on penalties.
The defender has been plagued with injury issues during his Black Cats career, and Regis Le Bris has confirmed his jinx has struck again as he suffered a groin problem that will now have to be assessed.
“Yes, it was an injury,” said Le Bris. “He [Huggins] felt a discomfort in his groin and so we had to take him off.”
Ballard also suffered a groin injury in the early stages of Saturday’s Premier League defeat at Burnley, and a scan has revealed damage that will keep the defender on the sidelines for around three weeks.
He will miss Saturday’s home game with Brentford, and will not link up with Northern Ireland for their forthcoming World Cup qualifiers, however he could be available for Sunderland’s first game after the international break against Crystal Palace.
“We have had the diagnosis yesterday,” said Le Bris. “He [Ballard] will probably be out for around three weeks.”
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Sunderland fell at the first hurdle in the Carabao Cup for the fourth year in a row, with Le Bris admitting he was disappointed with his side’s failure to see off League One opposition, even if he felt they improved in the second half.
“We are disappointed because we always want to win, but that wasn’t the case at the end,” he said. “The main purpose of the evening was to win and we failed.
“It’s not the only learning because yes, we struggled a bit in the first half, but we need to test different options. On the pitch, we had many new players so we had to experience things with them in real conditions.
“During the second half, it was much better and so I think there are positives for the future.”