Sunderland star Granit Xhaka is currently sidelined through injury
Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka has taken to social media to share a brief update on his return from injury, claiming that he will be “back soon”.
The Swiss midfielder missed a fifth consecutive match for the Black Cats on Sunday, settling for a watching brief as his teammates saw off Oxford United courtesy of a Habib Diarra penalty to book their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time in 2015.
And shortly before that clash at the Kassam Stadium, Xhaka posted a pair of selfies on his personal Instagram account, alongside the caption: “Day by day. Step by step. Back soon. All the best today, boys”.
What has Regis Le Bris said about Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka?
Speaking last week, prior to Wednesday’s Premier League defeat at the hands of champions Liverpool, Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris suggested that Xhaka and teammate Bertrand Traore were both around three weeks away from making their respective comebacks for the first team.
He said: “He [Traore] is in the same dynamic, similar to Granit - almost three weeks, something like that. So it's always symptom-driven, but they are both in a good place. So hopefully we'll have good news in a few weeks. Bertrand suffered an important knee injury and played with his national team in the second half, I think. I don't remember the opponent and when he came back here in Sunderland, the diagnosis was that you need to rest and you need to take care of your knee if you want to have a stable knee for the end of the season and for his career as well. So we didn't rush the process and we took care of him just to make sure that he's ready to play.”
In a separate interview with Sky Sports, Le Bris also highlighted the significance of Xhaka and his fellow summer arrival Noah Sadiki, referencing both their outstanding energy levels and the measure of quality they bring to the centre of the park.
He said: "They want to run! They are good footballers, they are versatile, they have so many good qualities. They have a good profile, they work well together - and they are well connected with the squad. Everything is connected. If you have a weak point, it will influence the whole dynamic."
The Echo has launched a new WhatsApp SAFC Channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates direct to your phone. Simply click this link to join ourSAFC WhatsApp channel.
On Xhaka specifically, he added: "I think it's about ambition, understanding and composure. It's not always something impressive. It's more about consistency - whatever the event, whatever the opponent. So we go away to Chelsea? We can win, if we believe. We are playing at home against a team that struggles at the table? We have to win and stay consistent. It's about managing emotions, events and consistency.
"I wasn't happy [in January’s 3-1 defeat] at West Ham because after the first goal, the energy was really low,. When the captain is missing, this support, this drive is a bit different. The reaction after the goal, we didn't switch. We stayed in the same mood, even a bit lower. When you have a more experienced player on the pitch, it helps. Granit's like a beacon. You want to follow the light. Against West Ham, probably it wasn't the case."
Continue Reading