A number of Sunderland’s first-team players have been away on international duty in recent weeks
The long international break is finally nearing a conclusion, with Sunderland returning to Premier League action against Brighton on Saturday.
Some major injury worries have dominated the headlines on Wearside, but there have also been positives for Régis Le Bris. Here, we break down how everyone has fared with their respective nations over the last few weeks and what it means for the busy schedule ahead...
Dan Ballard
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In a significant blow for player and club, Ballard picked up a hamstring injury in the latter stages of Northern Ireland's first game of the international break. Régis Le Bris is set to offer an update at his pre-match press conference on Thursday but the Black Cats are braced for his absence during this busy stretch of nine games before the next international break.
Brian Brobbey
Picked up a hamstring injury during the early stages of the Netherlands' clash with Germany in their first fixture of the break. Like Ballard, fans are waiting to see the extent of the injury and whether he will miss any of the upcoming fixtures. After his hattrick at Man City, he would be a massive miss if absent.
Trai Hume
Continued to show his quality, leadership and versatility for Northern Ireland. Wore the captain's armband twice, played every minute and thrived in a number of positions as Michael O'Neill's side kept four clean sheets and won two of their games. Showed again what a consistent and durable player he is, even if that heavy workload will need to be taken into account in the coming weeks.
Omar Alderete
A decent international break for the centre back, who played an hour then the full 90 as Paraguay kept two clean sheets and won two games over the break. After a disrupted pre-season and with Ballard's injury in mind, a positive for Sunderland that he got match minutes under his belt which on balance was probably more beneficial than training time on Wearside.
Wilson Isidor
Had a pretty heavy workload over the break but continuing his emergence as a vital player for Haiti can only be good for his confidence and rhythm as a striker. Le Bris and Sunderland will need to keep an eye on fatigue as he played three full 90s and 70 minutes in Haiti's other fixture during the break, but three goals and two assists was a hugely impressive return. Looks ready to make an impact this month and he'll be needed.
Kevin Danso
Played three full games for Austria over the break, missing one game against Ireland due to suspension. Might need a little bit of looking after this month given how regularly he's played of late, but should be in a good rhythm and fully fit for this weekend at least.
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Noah Sadiki
Caused a brief wave of worry on Wearside when he was pictured limping at the end of a DR Congo game, but was then selected for a friendly earlier this week. Has been a remarkably durable player for Sunderland so far since his arrival - touch wood that continues for now.
Malick Fofana
Involved with the Belgium squad over the course of the break but picked up just eight minutes or so from the bench in the win over Turkey. Might have benefited from more time with his new team mates on the training ground at Sunderland but of course a big honour to represent his country and to work with elite players.
Melker Ellborg
Has been involved with the Sweden squad but didn't get any minutes. Will likely be targeting the Carabao Cup game against Brentford later this month and his probable next opportunity to impress.
Robin Roefs
With Brighton's Bart Verbruggen firmly established as the number one for Netherlands, Roefs didn't get any playing time over the break.
Juan Riquelme Angulo
Showed why he is such a highly-rated young player by making his debut for Ecuador over the course of three appearances during the break, scoring his first goal against Panama. At this stage he has still had very limited training time on Wearside, so expectations around minutes in the senior team over the next month or so might have to be tempered as he adjusts to his new surroundings.
Nilson Angulo
Made three appearances for Ecuador over the break, but only played the second half against Panama on Monday which eased his workload slightly. Has played a lot of football over the last few months but given how often Le Bris rotates his wingers both from game to game and within them, that shouldn't be too much of a concern.
Dayann Methalie
Has been away with France U21s over the break but only played in one of the three fixtures, completing 90 minutes in a win over Estonia. Monaco's Christian Mawissa played at left back in the other two games, meaning Methalie should be pretty fresh for the month ahead. Good competition now in that position with Reinildo well rested following his retirement from international football with Mozambique.
Chris Rigg
Had a really good break, playing three times for England U20s in impressive wins over Germany, Italy and France. Played the full 90 in two and 80 minutes in the other, a heavy workload but no bad thing after a quiet start to the season in terms of senior minutes.
Jules Ahoka
Got two appearances under his belt for DR Congo U23s, topping up his game time ahead of a busy block of fixtures.
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The other developments that might be of interest to Sunderland fans...
Granit Xhaka has remained on Wearside having withdrawn from Switzerland duty due an investigation into a COVID-19 vaccine certificate. Swiss media have reported that Xhaka will be questioned by the relevant authorities this week, and so there could be updates in the near future as to any potential consequences.
Elsewhere, Thomas Meunier's surprise exclusion from the Belgium squad means he has had a valuable rest even if the news came as a significant personal disappointment. Having lost his place in the Morocco squad, it will be interesting to see whether Chemsdine Talbi has been able to use the training time to push his way further forward in Le Bris's thinking.
Though no longer in Le Bris's plans on Wearside, it was also a significant international break for Abdoullah Ba who made his international debut for Mauritania.
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