Sunderland have been boosted by the return of defender Jan Kirchhoff from injury but need to handle him extremely carefully to avoid the risk of losing him again ahead of what is a crucial period for the Black Cats. The team just had grabbed their second successive win to give themselves a chance of a fight for survival after their win against Hull City and to get a player back who they have missed a bit will no doubt lift the spirits of the manager.
Kirchhoff picked up a hamstring strain during pre-season. He was back in action by September, when he then played five games in 20 days, two of them for the full 90 minutes. The latter – October 1’s 1-1 draw against West Bromwich Albion at the Stadium of Light – saw him aggravate the same problem and limp off just before the hour mark.
He has since then missed six first-team matches, but made his first appearance scoring in and completing 90 minutes of Sunderland’s Under-23 Premier League 2 victory against Manchester United on Monday, which was his first appearance since October. With Lee Cattermole ruled out for four months following hip surgery and fitness doubts over Jason Denayer, the availability of the 26-year old German will be a huge boost for Moyes.
The former Bayern Munich defender who has actually played at the centre of the pitch for Sunderland will counter the absence of Lee Cattermole to some extent. Sunderland have missed Kirchhoff’s cool head at the centre of the park, that ability to break up an opposition move with his nous and positional sense.
Nevertheless, with the player himself claiming that he has returned from injury a bit too soon, concerns are there as to for how long he can continue to remain fit without giving the injury to heal for the total period necessary. Kirchhoff though seems confident when he spoke to Sunderland’s official website. The player said, “It’s always good for me because it was a long time ago. I’ve had a lot of injuries this year and I feel like this is my third pre-season now so I’m pleased to be back on the pitch and pleased to be healthy and fit. To be injured isn’t nice because you can’t help the guys on the pitch every weekend. Just not being part of the squad isn’t the best feeling but that’s how football is sometimes. You have a little bit of bad luck and I think when I played the 90 minutes before maybe it was a little bit too early after my long injury. For me the only thing that counts now is trying to stay fit, improve my fitness levels and stay healthy, they’re the most important things.”
Sunderland now have Liverpool as their next opposition this Saturday before facing Leicester City, Swansea City and Watford in December. Moyes knows he needs to get a positive result against the opponents he will face in the next month and Kirchhoff can play a vital part in those games to help his team achieve their ultimate aim of staying up again this season.
