Sunderland were dealt an irritating injury blow in their narrow 1-0 win over Oxford United at the weekend. 

Defender Bailey Wright was forced off with just six minutes remaining of the game at the Kassam Stadium, as the Black Cats made it three wins in a row.

That impressive run of form sees Sunderland currently sit fifth in the League One table, and they'll be hoping they can continue to make a late challenge for the title.

Phil Parkinson's side are only three points adrift of league-leaders Rotherham United, and will fancy their chances of forcing themselves into the automatic promotion places before the season reaches a conclusion.

Speaking in an interview with Sunderland's official website, Phil Parkinson issued a frustrating fitness update on Wright, and labelled it as a 'bad injury'.

"It doesn’t look good, that’s all I can say.

"Obviously it’s a bit early [to make an assessment] but it looks like quite a bad injury which is a blow, but Alim has come on and done well."

Alim Ozturk replaced Wright against Oxford, and Parkinson was quick to praise Ozturk for his contribution as they turn their attentions to their next game against Bristol Rovers on Saturday.

"Alim has a great personality, he is a great lad and while he has been out of the team he has trained well and that’s really important.

"We have gone with the same team for quite a period of time now and sometimes it can be difficult to keep those other lads going but, as I keep saying, they have been outstanding and they have driven the other lads on."

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The Verdict: 

This will be hugely frustrating for Sunderland.

Wright has really impressed me this season, and I think he would have been a key player to rely on as Sunderland head towards the final stages of this year's campaign.

Ozturk is a good enough replacement for Wright in the short-term though, and he's a strong enough option to have for Phil Parkinson's side as they challenge for promotion.

But they'll be hoping that Wright can return to action at the earliest of opportunities, as you always want to have your key players available for selection, and Wright is definitely one of them.