Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray has suggested that adjusting to the demands of the Championship could be why the club are picking up so many injuries.

The Black Cats face Norwich City on Sunday looking to end a three-game losing streak and they had more bad news going into the fixture as it was Ali Alese joined a growing injury list and will miss the rest of the season.

With the likes of Corry Evans, Ross Stewart and Elliot Embleton all out for lengthy periods as well, it's fair to say the Wearside outfit have not had many breaks on the injury front.

And, speaking to the Sunderland Echo, Mowbray gave an insight into the problems as he indicated that it could be down to the intensity of the second tier after years at a lower level.

"Having played at the League One level for four years, this level is very different and a lot of the players have played 30-odd games consecutively. It becomes difficult.

"If you look at Ross he played just about every game last season yet he's had two major injuries since I've been here. But it's a warm-up and an in-game injury, not ones on the training pitch where maybe he's been pushed too hard in a session. Maybe their bodies are just finding that the extra intensity of playing in this league is difficult."

The verdict

This is an interesting claim and you have to trust Mowbray here as he knows both levels and is very experienced, so if he thinks it's a factor then it probably is.

Clearly, the squad has been stretched to the limit and in truth it's probably going to be why they can't keep pace with those seeking to make the play-offs.

Of course, some of this is bad luck but Mowbray's comments here suggest he will be looking into it and they need to ensure they are better prepared for next season.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.