Nazariy Rusyn cleared for Sunderland
and – but key players to miss Cardiff
NAZARIY RUSYN has been given the green light to make his Sunderland debut at the weekend – but Tony Mowbray is still to decide whether to select the Ukrainian forward in the squad to face Cardiff City.
Rusyn joined Sunderland on deadline day from Ukrainian side Zorya Luhansk, but was forced to wait for the necessary documentation that was needed before he could play in a competitive fixture.
That finally came through this week, meaning the 24-year-old is eligible to feature against Cardiff on Sunday afternoon.
Rusyn joined Sunderland on deadline day from Ukrainian side Zorya Luhansk, but was forced to wait for the necessary documentation that was needed before he could play in a competitive fixture.
That finally came through this week, meaning the 24-year-old is eligible to feature against Cardiff on Sunday afternoon.
Aji Alese will not feature against Cardiff, but the defender is now only a couple of weeks away from a potential first-team return.
Bradley Dack will not be risked as he continues to recover from a hamstring issue, with Pierre Ekwah also remaining unavailable. Jewison Bennette is a doubt because of the illness that kept him out of Wednesday’s win at Blackburn, while Dennis Cirkin remains a long-term absentee.
“Aji’s on a progression,” said Mowbray. “He’s a couple of weeks away, I think. He’s on the grass, but not joining in. He’s doing it with physios and kicking a few balls and dribbling around a few cones. Dennis is a bit further away than that.
“I don’t think it’ll be worth the risk with Bradley. I think he probably could play, but we want to give him some time to strengthen it all up. I don’t want to get to a point where he can only play for 60 minutes, then he has to come off because he’s damaged the problem a little bit more.
“We’re taking the time to get him 100 per cent while we feel we can afford the time to do that. I think that’s the wise thing to do. I don’t think he’ll be available, and Pierre won’t be available for the weekend either.”
