Sunderland have been dealt a blow in their bid to avoid relegation after confirming Duncan Watmore would miss the remainder of the season with a serious knee injury.
Watmore, 22, was taken off on a stretcher with five minutes remaining of Sunderland’s 2-1 win over Leicester on Saturday following a collision with Christian Fuchs.
The England Under-21 international has established himself as a regular under David Moyes this season but will play no further part after scan results revealed he will need surgery to correct his cruciate knee ligament damage.
Sunderland have already lost Paddy McNair, Lynden Gooch and Lee Cattermole to serious long-term injuries this season and cannot afford to lose more players as they bid to avoid relegation.
The Black Cats have won three of their last four Premier League matches to move to within one point of safety with a crucial clash with relegation rivals Swansea to come this weekend.
No Sunderland player has registered more assists in the Premier League this season than Watmore (2).
For more stats on Duncan Watmore, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
