Jack Clarke news looks like a killer blow for Sunderland: View | OneFootball

Sunderland's top scorer, Jack Clarke, is set to face a spell on the sidelines during a key part of the season and could damage the Black Cats' play-off hopes.

Clarke has established himself as a key figure at the Championship club in recent years, but a fresh injury update suggests that his side will now have to learn to adapt without him on the field for a number of weeks.

The Black Cats currently sit 7 points adrift from Hull City at the base of the play-off places, and losing their talisman is unlikely to boost their chances of closing that gap.

It is not an impossible task, but there's no escaping the fact that Clarke's goals will be difficult to replace in his absence.

It was announced via Sunderland's official website that Clarke is expected to be out of action for up to six weeks with an ankle ligament injury sustained in the club's 2-1 away defeat to Birmingham City.

The club also announced they expect the 23-year-old to return to training at some point in April, which means he may still be in contention for the final few games of the season.

The winger had played almost every Championship minute for the club this season before he missed the Black Cats' trip to Swansea City due to this injury.

Other forwards will need to step up to keep play-off hopes alive

Clarke is Sunderland's top scorer in the league this season with 15 goals, to which he has added four assists, making his goal contributions vital to where the club currently finds itself in the table.

While the goals have been shared among the squad throughout this season, the closest to Clarke is Jobe Bellingham, still some way off with just five goals.

It suggests that Sunderland are heavily dependent on Clarke to make things happen at the offensive end of the pitch, and will make many Black Cats fans question where the goals are going to come from in his absence.

Nazariy Rusyn, Luis Semedo and Chelsea loanee Mason Burstow are the only natural centre-forwards listed at the club, but have a combined tally of just three goals in a total of 52 appearances.

If there was ever a time for a player to establish themselves as a leader in the Sunderland frontline, it is now.

Sunderland were already in a difficulty, and the run-in does not look kind

In the remaining 12 games of the Championship season, the Black Cats still have to face four of the top seven, including promotion favourites Leicester City, Leeds United and Southampton.

The fact that Sunderland still need to play many of the teams they are chasing for a play-off spot could make or break their final league position, but may put the task more in their own hands than it otherwise would be.

However, seven points adrift, this would be a difficult run at the best of times, and the Black Cats look to be approaching it at almost the worst.

Having sacked manager Michael Beale after just 12 games in charge, the side are now looking at finishing the season under interim boss Mike Dodds.

Insert the loss of the side's top scorer into this picture, and it suddenly looks like a mountain to climb to earn a play-off place.

It will be a tricky task, and it may become clear that resetting for next season is the best step at some point during this run, but for now interim coach Dodds will look to use what is at his disposal to try and fashion a shot at sixth spot.