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Régis Le Bris explains Ian Poveda’s absence at Plymouth in Sunderland injury update wuth sack option…

Sunderland fell to a 3-2 defeat at Plymouth Argyle on Saturday afternoon
Ian Poveda has picked up a thigh injury but Sunderland are confident that he will not be sidelined for long.

Poveda was a surprise absentee from the squad on Saturday afternoon as the Black Cats fell to their first defeat of the campaign against Plymouth Argyle, but Régis Le Bris suggested that he is likely to be available when Middlesbrough visit the Stadium of Light next weekend.

“He felt a small discomfort on his thigh so he was not available, but we think that it is not serious,” Le Bris said.

Poveda picked up the knock playing in Sunderland U21s 2-2 draw with Athletic de Bilbao B in midweek, and his absence saw academy striker Trey Ogunsuyi promoted to the matchday squad. Adil Aouchiche and Abdoullah Ba were again left out of the squad.

Sunderland are facing an anxious wait after Dan Ballard limped off the pitch at Plymouth with the assistance of two physios, before leaving the ground on crutches and in a brace. Le Bris said it was too early to determine the extent of the problem.

Salis Abdul Samed will be monitored ahead of Middlesbrough’s visit, having not yet joined his team mates in full training due to a minor issue. Le Bris said at his pre-match press conference Thursday that the midfielder was seven to day ten days away from being available, which means next Saturday’s game may yet come too soon.

Régis Le Bris said his team would learn quickly after their first defeat of the Championship campaign and insists that it has still been a good start to the season.

Sunderland looked to have rescued a point from a difficult second half when Romaine Mundle scored late in normal time to make it 2-2, but Joe Edwards snatched a late winner to bring the club’s unbeaten run to an end. Le Bris said his side were too open in the game and admitted that it was perhaps a sign of opponents working out ways to cope with Sunderland’s new philosophy.

“We scored twice away from home, which is not easy,” Le Bris said.

“But even if during the first half, we felt we controlled the game but even then they had something in behind and we weren’t in our best shape.

“We conceded twice but then had the strength to come back, which was a good part of the game for us. We concede the third goal which for us, is very disappointing but we are not too down – this is a process and this is a young team who need to learn. This was a new experience. We didn’t solve the problems, for example their wingers were able to threaten our defence all the time and we struggled to understand the second balls – we conceded too many counterattacks.