Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl has delivered a cryptic fitness update on his side ahead of their Championship clash with Sunderland on Friday evening, suggesting that they have a number of “big question marks” heading into the weekend.
The Black Cats travel to Hillsborough looking to return to winning ways following consecutive defeats at the hands of Leeds United and Hull City last week. And according to Rohl, their efforts may be aided by “three or four” potential absences from Wednesday’s squad.
Speaking in a press conference on Thursday afternoon, when asked about the injury status of his squad, the German said: “In general, I will not speak too much about the names, but I can just say it’s a tough week for us. And you will see tomorrow why.”
When asked if his comments meant that some unexpected players could be missing from his match day squad, Rohl added: “Yes, could be.” The Wednesday boss went on to admit that experienced striker Michael Smith is “one of the question marks” for his side.
Elsewhere, Rohl provided updates on January signings Ibrahim Cissoko and Ryo Hatsuse, adding: “Ibi was ill as well during the week. Let’s see, but today he trained. Ryo trained for a week. Some players come closer. I come back to your question on Dom [Iorfa, injured defender], he comes closer. But we have three or four big question marks and we have to find solutions tomorrow. But I’m convinced the team on the pitch will be on fire.”
When asked whether these latest injury concerns could end up being long-term issues for Wednesday, Rohl responded: “No, not long term. We have some positive things, but we have also some tough things to make decisions. Positive thing, Dom is closer, Akin [Famewo] looks good. He trained now the first sessions with the team. Not the long distance, but you see, even today in the training, it’s nice to see him on the pitch when he goes into duels.”
For his part, Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris also delivered an injury update during his pre-match press conference on Thursday, confirming that both Enzo Le Fée and Dan Ballard are expected to be out of action for extended periods of time after being withdrawn during Saturday’s defeat at the hands of Hull City.
He said: “Enzo is a little bit less than Dan. For Enzo it will be four to six weeks, with Dan it will be maybe six to eight.”
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