As I write, it seems one of our key men has picked up a knock and is a doubt for the home game with Wolves this weekend. Noah Sadiki has been an absolute revelation at Sunderland since arriving from Union Saint-Gilloise summer.
I hate international breaks.
I have really enjoyed this season so far, but the worst part of it has been having things repeatedly disrupted - and there's ANOTHER one in November!
Not only do I have to find other things to do around the house, but I have to wait anxiously on whether one of our players has got injured while away with their country.
As I write, it seems one of our key men has picked up a knock and is a doubt for the home game with Wolves this weekend.
Noah Sadiki has been an absolute revelation at Sunderland since arriving from Union Saint-Gilloise summer. Initially, I was not sure if he was one for the future or was someone to come straight into the starting XI.
It was clear from minute one of pre-season that he is a proper player and not here to warm the bench.
Prior to arriving, his nickname was 'Mini Kante'. You can totally see why once you see him popping up here, there, and everywhere on the pitch.
He is so good at covering the ground that when we went down to 10 men against Aston Villa, nobody really noticed, as Noah did the running of two men.
He missed out on DR Congo's second international game of the break with a sprained ankle and was sent back to Wearside for treatment and assessment.
The brief footage we have seen showed him limping and, while he was not wearing a moon boot or using crutches, it did not look great.
Injuries and knocks aside, it is not ideal trying to prepare for a game when most of your squad will not return to training ground until Thursday or Friday.
But all teams at this level have good players, so Wolves will be no different to us. We have just got to hope Regis le Bris has eked value from the time he has had with his remaining players.
We beat Livingston in a behind-closed-doors friendly with a relatively strong side last week. Those minutes will be important going forward, as injuries to Habib Diarra and Sadiki prove we are going to need a fit and firing squad to stand any chance of surviving.
For the first time in forever, we are favourites for a Premier League game - and with good reason.
We have had a cracking start while Wolves are bottom, but they have improved recently. Even so, they have chucked away leads against Spurs and Brighton late on, which may point to some fragility. We have to try and exploit that.
With tougher games on the horizon, this result may prove pivotal to keep up our brilliant start to the season.
Find more from Gavin Henderson at Roker Report
Category: General Sports
