McCartney hamstring injury leaves Cats with tough test

Sep 7 2009 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

SUNDERLAND’S reshaped squad will be given an immediate test at home to Hull City on Saturday thanks to George McCartney’s untimely hamstring injury.

Danny Collins’ deadline-day departure has left the Black Cats without another senior specialist left-back. So it was perhaps inevitable the 28-year-old would pick up a strain while on international duty with Northern Ireland which is expected to rule him out for six weeks. Michael Liddle is the only other left-back Steve Bruce has at his disposal.

The 19-year-old is yet to make his Sunderland debut, all of his 23 first-team appearances coming on loan at League One Carlisle United last season. So Bruce is instead expected to fall back on the flexibility built into his squad. Loan signing John Mensah is a centre-back by trade but the 26-year-old has played at left-back for Lyon in League 1 and the Champions League at the start of last season.

However, he is he is short on match fitness having not played for Lyon since May and has not even been able to train much recently while waiting for a work permit.

Mensah’s involvement in Ghana’s squad for last night’s home World Cup qualifier with Sudan means he has not even had the chance to work with his new team-mates over the last week. It was, however, the Black Stars’ only game of the international break so he should at least return to Wearside sooner and fresher than some of his new club-mates.