Sunderland’s leading scorer, Jack Clarke, is expected to miss a significant portion of the season, which might jeopardise the Black Cats’ playoff ambitions.
Clarke has established himself as a prominent role at the Championship club in recent years, but a new injury update indicates that his team will now have to learn to adjust without him on the field for several weeks.
The Black Cats are presently 7 points below Hull City at the bottom of the play-off table, and losing their talisman is unlikely to help them close the gap.
It is not an insurmountable feat, but there is no denying that Clarke’s goals will be difficult to replicate during his absence.
The extent of Clarke’s injury revealed
According to Sunderland’s official website, Clarke is expected to be sidelined for up to six weeks due to an ankle ligament injury sustained in the club’s 2-1 away loss to Birmingham City.
The club also stated that the 23-year-old is expected to return to training in April, implying that he may still be in contention for the season’s final few games.
The winger has played practically every Championship minute for the club this season until missing the Black Cats’ trip to Swansea City due to an injury.
Other forwards will need to step up to keep play-off hopes alive
Clarke is Sunderland’s top scorer in the league this season with 15 goals, to which he has added four assists, making his goal contributions vital to where the club currently finds itself in the table.
While the goals have been shared among the squad throughout this season, the closest to Clarke is Jobe Bellingham, still some way off with just five goals.
It shows that Sunderland is largely reliant on Clarke to make things happen on the offensive end of the pitch, which will have many Black Cats fans wondering where the goals will come from in his absence.
The only natural centre-forwards listed at the club are Nazariy Rusyn, Luis Semedo, and Chelsea loanee Mason Burstow, who have combined for three goals in 52 games.
If there was ever a time when a player could position themselves as a leader on the Sunderland frontline, it is now.
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