Sunderland have been dealt a blow in their hopes to secure a play-off place after interim boss Mike Dodds confirmed that Jack Clarke will miss tomorrow’s crucial clash with Swansea City.
It’s been a turbulent week for the Wearsiders thus far. Manager Michael Beale was dismissed on Monday after picking up just two wins from his 12 games in charge. Last weekend’s 2-1 defeat at the hands of Birmingham City proved to be the final nail in the coffin, a result which left the club seven points behind sixth-placed Hull City.
Dodds has been handed the reins on an interim basis for a third time, although this will be the 37-year-old’s longest stint after the club confirmed that he will take charge until the end of the season.
He will lead his team out at the Stadium of Light tomorrow afternoon against a Swansea side that have lost five of their last six league outings, although he will have to do it without the services of key attacker Jack Clarke, who picked up an injury at St Andrew’s.
Speaking to the media ahead of the clash, via the Sunderland Echo, Dodds said:
“The Jack Clarke one is an interesting one.
“I’m not a big social media person and am only getting things second and third hand. The information I get from social media is a lot worse than what it is.
“Jack rolled his ankle against Birmingham, obviously played 90 minutes and was super relaxed. The plan was for him to have a couple of days off and train Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
“That hasn’t happened so I think the game tomorrow is probably going to come too early for him, then we’ll assess where we are on Monday. I don’t think he will be out for a month, I think that has been a little bit more sensationalised than it is.”
The winger is enjoying his most fruitful season to date, scoring a career-best 15 goals. His form has caught the eye of a number of potential suitors and this summer is likely to represent the third successive transfer window in which the Black Cats have had to field interest in their talisman.
Bid were turned down from Italian giants Lazio last month whilst Burnley were knocked back on several occasions last summer. More interest is expected at the end of the season, with the likes of Brentford, Crystal Palace and West Ham United all said to be keen on acquiring his services.
Writer’s View
Sunderland looked well on course to mirror last season’s play-off appearance under Tony Mowbray, although the decision to part company with the 60-year-old in December has not gone to plan. The gap to the top six is starting to open up and Dodds knows that he needs to start getting points on the board in order to climb up the table.
Clarke’s loss tomorrow is a big one, especially because the Black Cats do not possess another prolific goalscorer within their ranks. His injury appears to be less serious than social media rumours have suggested and supporters will be hoping he recovers in time to face promotion-rivals Norwich City next weekend. Anything longer, and this could seriously dent their chances of returning to the Premier League for the first time since 2017.
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