Mike Dodds might give one of Sunderland’s summer acquisitions their first start against QPR on Saturday.

Timothée Pembélé might have a big chance to shine with Sunderland’s defense injury problems.

Pembélé has failed to get consistent playing time since his summer arrival from PSG, appearing in only five Championship games. He has yet to start a competitive match, but that appears poised to change on Saturday afternoon.

Luke O’Nien is banned, and Jenson Seelt has a knee issue that will keep him out for the remainder of the season. Dan Ballard might yet play despite suffering a hamstring injury in the defeat to Southampton last week, but he has not trained since and is a significant concern.

Trai Hume would go into the heart of defence with Leo Hjelde, with Pembélé and Callum Styles playing full back. Dodds feels the right back has the potential to make a difference and blames Hume’s continued performance for his lack of playing time.

“I don’t think I can hide the back four unless I’m going to do something ridiculous,” Dodds said with a laugh.

“Timmy had a strong young pedigree and has had a number of serious injuries in recent years. The club invested in him in the summer, and during one of his first workouts with us, he suffered a significant hamstring injury, which clearly set him back for a while.

“I think it’s just taken him, sometimes young players moving to a new country, I think it takes them a while to settle and I think you’ve seen that with a few players,” he said.

“I believe that has been the case with Timmy; it has taken a bit longer to settle, as is common with young people, especially those who have moved to a new nation. He has a tremendous pedigree and talent, but he hasn’t been able to push his way into the team, and to be honest, I believe that’s because we have one of the finest right backs in the league in Trai Hume. To be honest, it is the major reason why. Timmy should be getting more minutes at this time frame.”

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