Sunderland could be without an ‘outstanding’ player until 2025.
Sunderland have been hit with a number of long-term injuries since they were promoted to the Championship, with Corry Evans, Aji Alese, Dennis Cirkin, Niall Huggins and Elliot Embleton all spending significant chunks of the last couple of seasons on the sidelines.
Injuries last term may well have cost them their place in the play-off final, having been forced to play Patrick Roberts at full-back across two legs against Luton Town.
Things haven’t improved much this time round either, but the current international break could have been viewed as a turning point for the Black Cats, with Corry Evans one key player who is now in contention for his return.
While a number of important stars could return to the match-day squad in the coming weeks, there is one man whose time on the treatment table has only just begun.
It was reported ahead of the draw with QPR that Jenson Seelt had suffered a knee injury and was expected to be sidelined for some time, while journalist Phil Smith had claimed he could return for pre-season if he didn’t need surgery.
Sunderland suffer a major blow
The Dutchman has since undergone further tests though, and Mike Dodds confirmed in today’s press conference that his injury would require surgery.
Phil Smith wrote on X: “Jenson Seelt requires surgery on his knee injury – which means he is looking at 6-9 months on the sidelines.”
This means that Seelt could potentially return early October at the earliest, or as late as December/January.
Seelt has struggled like the rest of the team in recent games, but overall he has looked really positive since joining from PSV.
The defender had been hailed as ‘outstanding‘ in the early stages of time at the Stadium of Light, while he had at times looked like one of our best defenders.
What does this mean for Jenson Seelt’s future?
Given the constant question mark over Luke O’Nien’s position in the team, Seelt could have had a shout for forcing himself into the starting line-up on a regular basis next season, but this is a huge blow for him and the team.
Such a long period on the sidelines can really affect young players both physically and mentally, while we have recently seen players such as Alese and Cirkin continue to suffer further injuries afterwards.
It is a big concern for Seelt and he will be worried about getting back into the team once he eventually makes his comeback, but for now he just has to concentrate on his recovery.