Sunderland's backline saw some significant changes in the summer as a host of new defenders, including Jordan Willis, Joel Lynch and Laurens De Bock, joined the club.

There were also a number of departures, particularly at full-back, with Adam Matthews, Reece James, Bryan Oviedo and Donald Love all leaving the club.

The Black Cats have had a shaky start to the season and kept just two clean sheets in League One–a damning statistic for a club pushing for promotion.

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Matthew, James and Love have all settled at other clubs in English football, while Oviedo has moved further afield.

The left-back returned to Danish side FC Copenhagen, where from 2010 he spent two-and-a-half years before joining Everton.

The Costa Rican international then moved to Sunderland in 2017 and made 77 appearances before leaving when his deal expired in the summer.

Oviedo signed a three-year deal with Copenhagen in the summer but things have not exactly gone to plan for the defender so far.

His club are second in the top flight, four points behind league leaders Midtjylland, and are competing in this season's Europa League but the 29-year-old appears to have fallen out of favour.

 

Oviedo has made seven appearances in total but has not featured in the league since August, with his only first-team football in the last few months coming in Europe.

The form of Sweden international Pierre Bengtsson has kept the ex-Sunderland man out of the first-team for most of the season, with the 31-year-old making 17 appearances.

Adapting to the step up to the Swedish top flight and European football was always going to take some time but three months into the season, Oviedo will surely be looking to break into the first-team more regularly.