Sunderland manager Lee Johnson says Nathan Broadhead could be out for a month due to injury, while he is hopeful of having Aiden McGeady back after the international break.

Broadhead has made six appearances for the Black Cats since joining on a season-long loan from Everton in the summer, scoring once.

But after limping off during Sunderland's win at home to Cheltenham in midweek, the striker was absent from the matchday squad for Saturday's defeat to Portsmouth.

Like Broadhead, McGeady was also withdrawn against Cheltenham on Tuesday, and was subsequently absent from the weekend's trip to Fratton Park.

But with Sunderland's clash with Oxford next weekend postponed due to international callups, McGeady may not miss any more league games for Sunderland, though things are different for Broadhead.

Providing an update on Broadhead after that loss at Portsmouth, Johnson was quoted by The Sunderland Echo as saying: "It was a grade 1B tear of the hamstring, which is on the better end of the scale.

"That means we're looking at around two to four weeks, and obviously from there it just depends on how the player presents in terms of how quickly we can get him back."
On the situation surrounding McGeady, Johnson went on to reveal: "In the last game we had to take him off because about five minutes before half time he took a fairly considerable whack to the ankle.
"We tried [to get him ready] and Aiden has proved regularly that he will play when he can, even if he's not 100%. But on this occasion he couldn't. I think we obviously missed that experience today."

Sunderland are now second in the League One table, and are next in league action when they travel to Priestfield to face Gillingham a week on Saturday.

The Verdict

It seems as though this could be something of a relief for Sunderland.

The Black Cats endured a poor day with that 4-0 defeat at Portsmouth on Saturday, and they will desperate to bounce back from that quickly when the league resumes after the international break.

Having McGeady available by that point will obviously be a big boost, given the influence he has on this side, while the depth Broadhead provides them with upfront could also be important.

The fact therefore, that the Everton loanee may not be for as long as might have been the case also looks to be a good thing for Sunderland, and the player himself, given he has obviously come here to experience regular first-team football.