Sunderland midfielder Lynden Gooch is set to miss his side's trip to Shrewsbury Town on Saturday, after suffering a twisted ankle in the Black Cats' 5-0 win over Tranmere Rovers on Tuesday.

Gooch had scored Sunderland's third goal in that thrashing - which was new manager Phil Parkinson's first win since taking over at the club - but was then forced off early in the second half through injury.

Parkinson has now confirmed that while that knock is not thought to be long term, it will keep Gooch out of the clash with Shrewsbury this weekend, where a win for Sunderland could see them climb into the play-off spots depending on results elsewhere.

So how big a miss will Gooch be for Sunderland as they look to get the win they will likely need to climb back into the top six?

Here, we put the spotlight on the midfielder's performances so far this season to find out.

Having featured in all but one of Sunderland's league games this season - only missing the 1-0 defeat at Wycombe in Parkinson's first game in charge - Gooch has once again been a key feature for Sunderland this season, and the stats only seem to emphasise that further.

With four goals from those 12 appearances this season, Gooch is currently Sunderland's second top goalscorer in League One - just one behind the five netted by Chris Maguire - the attack-minded midfielder is evidently a threat that is going to be missed for Sunderland as they look to break down Shrewsbury's defence.

Indeed, with an average of almost three touches in the opposition box per game, Gooch is someone who has the attacking intent to get in the sort of positions required to get those goals, and the Black Cats will be hoping that whoever takes over from him can show a similar desire to pose problems for Shrewsbury on Saturday.

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Add to that the fact that he has a success rate 40% when it comes to his offensive duels, Gooch is clearly someone capable of troubling defences at this level, and you imagine Shrewsbury's backline may well be relieved to see that the American is unavailable this weekend.

It will not just be Gooch's ability to take chances himself that it appears Sunderland will miss on Saturday however.

Having already assisted nine shots this season, Gooch is someone who can evidently create chances for his teammates, and the Black Cats will now have to turn to others to create those opportunities at the New Meadow.

Furthermore, with Gooch having registered a pass success rate of over 75% this season, it does seem as though his absence means Sunderland could be missing a calm, controlling presence when they take on Shrewsbury.

While Sunderland will still be expected to pick up another three points against Shrewsbury on Saturday, it certainly appears as though the absence of Gooch from their side for that game, is not going to make the Black Cats' task any easier.