£2m star.set to miss Sunderland v Norwich City among 10 others | OneFootball

We took a look at the players who are set to miss Saturday's fixture between Sunderland and Norwich City

Sunderland host Norwich City on Saturday afternoon as Regis Le Bris' side look to build on their comeback win at Swansea last weekend.

The Black Cats found themselves 2-0 down in the first half but goals from Dan Ballard, Dan Neil and Jobe Bellingham sealed all three points, a huge boost ahead of a busy festive period.

Meanwhile, the Canaries are coming off the back of a 2-1 home loss to Burnley which leaves them bang in mid-table, and they'll travel to the Stadium of Light as underdogs.

With games set to come thick and fast during the festive period, squad rotation will be crucial, and with that in mind, here are the players set to miss Saturday's fixture.

Sunderland

Jenson Seelt

Central defender Jenson Seelt will miss Saturday's fixture, although Le Bris recently revealed that he is taking part in non-contact training as part of his comeback trail.

The 21-year-old is expected to return to competitive senior action next month after suffering a knee injury in March last year, so Sunderland supporters shouldn't have too long to wait until he's back in action.

Niall Huggins

This weekend's fixture marks a year out of action for defender Niall Huggins, and he's still not in the frame to return in the near future.

The 24-year-old left-back had become a regular feature in the Black Cats' starting XI last season, but injury has meant he's become a bit of a forgotten man at the Stadium of Light, and supporters will be hoping he's able to replicate his previous form when he returns.

Salis Abdul Samed

Salis Abdul Samed joined the Black Cats on a season-long loan from Lens in the summer, but injury has meant that he's yet to make his debut for the club, a hugely frustrating situation all round.

However, there is light at the end of the tunnel for the Ghanian, and Le Bris revealed that he's close to joining full training, meaning he'll be available for selection in the relatively near future.

Alan Browne

Alan Browne sustained a broken bone in his leg against Coventry City last month, an injury which means he'll miss the game against Norwich on Saturday.

However, it shouldn't be too long until the midfielder is back in action, and Le Bris will be looking forward to having the Irishman at his disposal yet again.

Similarly to Browne, Romaine Mundle suffered an injury against Coventry at the beginning of last month which will rule him out for about two months, meaning he's not in the frame to face Norwich on Saturday.

A January signing from Standard Liege last season for £2 million, he's made 27 appearances for Sunderland, scoring five goals.

Tommy Watson

Tommy Watson will be out of action after suffering an injury against Bristol City last week, and is set to miss around two months, meaning he won't feature against Norwich City.

The 18-year-old has suffered damage to both his knee and his ankle, so it's a big blow for Le Bris ahead of the busy festive period with the youngster making a positive impression this season.

Ahmed Abdullahi

Summer signing Ahmed Abdullahi is yet to make his Black Cats debut after joining from Gent in August, and he looks set to be unavailable to feature when his side host the Canaries on Saturday.

However, Le Bris revealed that he's closer to joining training, so it looks as if the 20-year-old will be in contention to make his Black Cats debut in the near future.

Norwich City

Liam Gibbs

Midfielder Liam Gibbs was ruled out for 10 weeks after suffering a hamstring injury against Plymouth Argyle at the end of November, meaning he's still unavailable this weekend and won't make the long trip to the Stadium of Light.

Kenny McLean

Norwich skipper Kenny McLean is out of action until the 29th December thanks to a four-game suspension that he picked up in a 3-0 loss to QPR.

The incident wasn't picked up by match officials at the time, but McLean was charged with violent conduct and subsequently suspended for four games as it constitutes his second red card of the season.

Gabriel Forsyth

18-year-old Gabriel Forsyth picked up an injury in the Canaries' 2-1 defeat away to Cardiff City at the beginning of last month, and while it's not a long-term injury, he's yet to be included in any of Johannes Hoff Thorup's squads, so it remains to be seen if he's fit enough to feature against Sunderland.

Josh Sargent

Norwich City were dealt a blow when it emerged that their star striker, Josh Sargent, would be ruled out of action until 2025 after suffering a groin injury.