Sunderland AFC blow highlights what they're missing after Ipswich Town, Jack Clarke deal | OneFootball

Romaine Mundle has proved an excellent replacement for Jack Clarke at Sunderland, but he's now injured for the next two months

Initial fears have been allayed and the summer departure of star winger Jack Clarke to Ipswich Town hasn't been as sorely felt as many had expected for Sunderland, although there is one factor they're now beginning to miss.

Following endless speculation, Clarke finally departed Wearside back in the summer by joining newly-promoted Premier League side Ipswich in a deal worth up to £20 million, according to reports.

The former Leeds United prospect lit up the Stadium of Light over a sensational two-and-a-half year spell, where he helped Sunderland back to the Championship after arriving on loan from Tottenham Hotspur midway through the 2021/22 campaign before enjoying two stunning seasons at second-tier level.

In each of his two Championship campaigns, Clarke was right up there among the division's finest and established himself as a talismanic figure for Sunderland. Consistently outstanding, the winger shone during the previous season by scoring 15 times in spite of the Black Cats' struggles, as they fell to a disappointing 16th-placed finish and ultimately saw their bargaining hand weakened.

Sunderland opted against splashing the cash on a replacement for Clarke, instead replacing him internally by promoting young winger Romaine Mundle as a first-team regular. Mundle has stepped up admirably to fill the left-sided void, of course, leading many to wonder if Sunderland even missed Clarke all that much, but a critical development has now reminded them of exactly that.

Romaine Mundle's 24/25 form for Sunderland AFC

With years of ruinous misspending still in mind, Sunderland now operate with a much more sustainable modus operandi when it comes to player recruitment. While they could well have been tempted to go big on a marquee replacement after losing Clarke, they instead stuck to their guns in a bid to produce a potential replica of the Tractor Boys flyer in Mundle, who was a bit-part player in the second-half of the previous season before earning the trust of Regis Le Bris over the summer.

Sunderland's faith in Mundle has been richly vindicated, with the 21-year-old producing a series of displays on the left-hand side all-too-reminiscent of his predecessor. Equally quick with the ability to beat a man and pin back opposition defences with a similarly-impressive end product to boot, the silky winger has scored four goals from 15 Championship appearances so far while adding two assists for good measure.

His performances have been a vital force behind Sunderland's early-season form under Le Bris, which has been largely outstanding. Although a pile-up of injuries and suspensions has just halted them as of late amid four consecutive draws, taking them down from the top-spot which they spent some time occupying, Sunderland remain second in the league and look good value for promotion this term.

You imagine much of that will hinge upon how the Black Cats combat their obvious squad depth issue in the January window, though, with further bodies undoubtedly needed in order to push Le Bris' side over the line come May.

Romaine Mundle injury means Sunderland AFC will miss availability of Ipswich Town's Jack Clarke

One of the aforementioned absences pertains to Mundle, who is poised to miss up to eight weeks of action after suffering a hamstring injury in Sunderland's 2-2 draw with Coventry City before the international break.

Sunderland are worryingly light in the wide-left position, which was occupied by 18-year-old prospect Tom Watson in the latest 1-1 draw at Millwall on Saturday afternoon. Indeed, Watson has also been tipped as a potential heir to Clarke's throne, so to speak, but at 18 he will need to be carefully managed for the time being.

Mundle, meanwhile, isn't necessarily injury prone but his setback is going to be a huge blow and there's one huge difference which separates him from Clarke, who had a remarkable record for Sunderland in terms of availability. Across the entirety of Clarke's time with the club, he missed just seven games.

The 24-year-old made 45 appearances in the Championship during the 2022/23 season and missed just five through injury last term, too. Had Clarke not suffered an injury towards the end of last season, he surely would've played every single match, but he nonetheless brings remarkable availability for a left-sided winger - especially considering how often he's on the receiving end of scything challenges from opposition full-backs.

Make no mistake about it, Mundle is doing the business when he's on the pitch and he deserves his flowers for ensuring that the loss of a player of Clarke's X-Factor quality and importance hasn't been devastating just yet. However, given Sunderland's lack of strength in depth in the final third, they will still surely miss this slightly-undervalued factor of Clarke's arsenal.