Sunderland captain Westrup sidelined until second half of the season | OneFootball

Sunderland captain Brianna Westrup will be sidelined until the new year through injury.

The Lady Black Cats announced the news via a post on their official club website this afternoon.

It has been reported that Westrup has sustained a fractured fibula and the player is expected to be sidelined for the next three months. Sunderland are hoping that the defender will return to first team action in January.

Westrup’s short-term absence is a real blow for Sunderland with the defender having been one of the club’s most consistent performers in recent seasons. Since arriving on Wearside in summer 2022, the player has clocked up 42 appearances for The Lady Black Cats in the Barclays Women’s Championship in which she has scored four goals. Westrup has made one of the centre-back positions her own and she has impressed manager Melanie Reay enough to be handed the captain’s armband.

Sunderland are back in Barclays Women’s Championship action on Sunday when they welcome London City Lionesses to The Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground. The Wearsiders are still searching for their first points of the new season after losing both of their opening two matches. Sunderland will want to get up and running as soon as possible after going close to winning promotion last season.