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Sunderland lock horns with Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final on Saturday afternoon, and Regis Le Bris could be without one of his star players.
Sunderland have enjoyed a fantastic first season under Regis Le Bris, who masterminded a Championship play-off finish.
The Black Cats entered their clash against Coventry City on the back of five straight defeats, but they managed to erase recent form as Dan Ballard’s 122nd-minute winner raised the roof off the Stadium of Light in the second leg.
Ahead of the Championship play-off final, which is worth a reported £240 million to the winner, it’s Sheffield United who arrive as the favourites.
The Blades thrashed Bristol City 6-0 on aggregate and finished 14 points above Sunderland in the table once the 46-game campaign drew to a close. Now, one injury update could have handed Chris Wilder’s men an even bigger advantage.
Romaine Mundle is an injury doubt for the Championship play-off final
Sheffield United have been predicted to beat Sunderland in the play-off final and book an instant return to the Premier League following relegation last term.
The North East giants will be encouraged that Sheffield United have never won the play-offs previously, losing on each of their four occasions in the final without scoring.
But supporters will also be worried that exciting winger Romaine Mundle won’t be fit in time to feature. As highlighted by the Sunderland Echo, the Frenchman didn’t train with his teammates in the days following their victory over Coventry.
Mundle made his first appearance in more than a month against the Sky Blues after coming on for the final 25 minutes of extra time.
The 22-year-old missed the final six matches with his second hamstring injury of the campaign, and although he made a positive impact after leaving the bench on Tuesday, his post-match recovery has been far from ideal.
The young winger is now a serious doubt for the play-off final, leaving Le Bris with a huge decision to make on the left flank, and it could see Enzo Le Fee continue in the role if Mundle isn’t fit enough to start.
Mundle on his ‘dream’ to play at Wembley
Former Sunderland winger Jack Clarke lauded Mundle as ‘exceptional’ during the early stages of the campaign, and the exciting talent has repaid that compliment on several occasions.
Despite injuries preventing him from consistently nailing down a spot on the left, the 2003-born star did still produce five goals and two assists in 22 Championship appearances.
Should he get the opportunity to play in the final, Mundle could provide the X Factor his side need to break down a tough Sheffield United defence.
Ahead of the showdown, Mundle has labelled the chance of playing at Wembley as a ‘dream’, supplying hope that he’s fit enough to feature.
“I’ve not played there before but whether you are brought up in London or not, for a lot of people their dream is to play at Wembley and mine could possibly come true on Saturday,” he said.
“It would mean everything to me to win at Wembley, especially with what’s gone on this season with the injuries, but mainly just for the club.
“The club deserves to be back in the Premier League, the fans deserve it. The fans and the club are tight-knit, it’s almost like a family club. I just hope we can repay them.”