Adam Johnson: Out Two Months with Shoulder Injury

Adam Johnson is ruled out for at least ten weeks with a shoulder injury, meaning Emanuele Giaccherini and Will Buckley are battling to start for the Black Cats.

Dick Advocaat has warned his Sunderland players they are in trouble if they can not summon up the aggression to avoid another Barclays Premier League survival fight.

“If we think we can play [the way we did against Leicester], then we have no chance at all”, the Dutchman is quoted as saying by Sky Sports News.

The opening-day nightmare started before the first whistle it seemed though with Advocaat’s team selection, as he opted to play both Younes Kaboul and Sebastian Coates together in the centre of defence, with no competitive chemistry between the two before the game.

Every season, Sunderland’s players produce the same platitudes about improving things; every season they revert to type and serve up displays such as last weekend’s.

The Black Cats have been linked with Manchester United youngster Adnan Januzaj and former loan signing Fabio Borini in recent days.

“We showed last season that we can do much better and on Saturday we have to show that we want to win”.

“The fact is though is he’s not going to be there, so we’ll have to do it without him”.

Johnson will not be involved against the Canaries but central defender John O’Shea hopes to figure after being named only among the substitutes last weekend, although Advocaat is adamant he will pick his team based on a vision for the future. “It’s not nice, but the reality is that you have to go through it. You can’t hide away, you have to confront it head on and move on”.

“That is better than we expected”. It’s been about maintaining me and making sure I didn’t blow up over pre-season.