Sunderland sweating over fitness of key man Clarke ahead of City clash
A nervous wait awaits Sunderland as they try to find out if their star winger Jack Clarke will be cleared to play in Saturday’s crucial match against Norwich City at Carrow Road.
The wideman missed the Black Cats’ 2-1 loss to Swansea at the Stadium of Light on Saturday due to an ankle knock he sustained in their last game against Birmingham, which also happened to be the final game Michael Beale managed to win as manager of the team.
The primary offensive threat for Sunderland is Clarke, who has scored 15 goals in the Championship this season. In October, Clarke played a significant role in Sunderland’s 3-1 victory over Norwich on Wearside.
Important defender Dan Ballard, who is serving the second of his two-game suspension, and former City loanee Patrick Roberts are expected to miss Sunderland’s match.
When asked about Clarke’s availability on Saturday, interim manager Mike Dodds expressed optimism that he would play, but new reports from the northeast on Tuesday have raised questions.
When asked if he was nearing a training return, Dodds responded, “Yeah, that’s what I’ve been told,” to the Sunderland Echo on Saturday.
“He is eager to get going. He’s a strong boy who hasn’t missed much football since joining. We assumed he would be available because he rarely skips training, but for some reason that hasn’t happened.”
Dodds, who has been appointed interim manager won’t let Clarke’s probable absence serve as an excuse if he does miss additional Championship play; he will be at Sunderland for the whole of the campaign.
“I refuse to accept Jack’s injury as a justification. Dodds remarked, “Jack is not just a good player for us; he’s probably the league’s best wide player.”
You will never be able to replace Jack Clarke because we are discussing one of the best players in the league. However, I will say one thing, and I think this is incredibly important: Jack Clarke was not the same person when he joined the football team. That is, in my opinion, a crucial message.
“We need to make sure the message is understood by Romaine Mundle, Abdoullah Ba, and otherNaz [Russian]. I understand that the supporters may be irritated, and I wish I could go back in time, but Jack Clarke wasn’t the same guy when he first joined the team.
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