Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris is sweating on updates for his two main strikers
Wilson Isidor(Image: FIFA via Getty Images)
Striker Wilson Isidor has handed Sunderland a massive fitness boost after he helped Haiti secure a place in the Concacaf Nations League quarter-finals.
The Frenchman, who opted to play for Haiti because of his Haitian descent, has had an outstanding international window - something not all Sunderland players can say.
Haiti’s 2-0 defeat against Costa Rica in their final Group A fixture was not enough to prevent them finishing second and progressing to the knockout stages after winning their opening three matches.
For Isidor, it has been an especially productive few weeks.The Sunderland striker started all four of Haiti’s Nations League fixtures, scoring three goals and registering two assists. He began the window by playing the full game against Trinidad & Tobago, setting up Haiti’s first two goals before scoring a dramatic winner eight minutes into stoppage time in a 3-2 victory.
Isidor then completed another 90 minutes as Haiti beat Costa Rica 2-0 before producing his standout goalscoring performance in the 4-1 win over the Dominican Republic. The 26-year-old scored twice, in the 51st and 67th minutes, having earlier seen a penalty saved.
There was some concern afterwards when Isidor was withdrawn after 72 minutes. Reports subsequently described an apparent injury, although no diagnosis or expected absence was confirmed. Those fears should have been eased significantly by Haiti’s final group game. Isidor was fit enough to start again just days later and played 89 minutes of the defeat in Costa Rica before being substituted late on.
He will now return to Wearside ahead of Sunderland’s Premier League meeting with Brighton, with Régis Le Bris already dealing with injury uncertainty surrounding fellow striker Brian Brobbey.
Brian Brobbey receives treatment
Brian Brobbey picked up an injury against Germany(Image: UEFA via Getty Images)
The Black Cats frontman signed off for the first international break of the season in spectacular fashion as he bagged a hat-trick in a 5-3 defeat at Manchester City. They may have been his first goals of the campaign but they illustrated the power, quality and threat the forward possesses.
Brobbey had hoped to take his form into the opening games of the Netherlands Nations League campaign as they faced Germany, Serbia and Greece over a hectic fortnight. However, he lasted just 34 minutes of a 1-1 draw with Germany after picking up a suspected hamstring injury.
Sunderland are awaiting news on the severity of the injury before assessing how long the former Ajax star could face on the sidelines. There has been some suggestion that the forward could be out for two months.
That could open the door for Isidor to take his place. Whatever awaits at club level, Isidor’s international break has been a hugely successful one: four starts, three goals, two assists and a place in the Nations League quarter-finals.
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