'What you didn’t want to hear...' - James Hunter reacts to major Sunderland blow on Twitter

Sunderland defender Dan Ballard has suffered a fractured foot, as journalist James Hunter confirms the news with a message to Black Cats supporters on Twitter.

The Black Cats were frustratingly held to a 2-2 draw at home to QPR on Saturday afternoon, blowing a two-goal lead late in the day and allowing goalkeeper Seny Dieng to net the equaliser in stoppage time.

Aside from the dropped points, Sunderland were also dealt the blow of Ballard leaving the field with just nine minutes on the clock at the Stadium of Light.

It didn’t look good at the time and supporters will have been fearing the worst, with those concerns now coming to fruition.

Taking to Twitter, Hunter reacted to Sunderland’s official confirmation of Ballard’s broken foot, delivering a seven-word verdict:

“Just what you didn’t want to hear.”

This is an undoubted blow for Alex Neil, with Ballard making the summer move to Sunderland from Arsenal and looking impressive in the first few games, averaging two clearances per match.

The 22-year-old’s absence looks set to be a lengthy one, immediately reducing the manager’s squad depth ahead of what is going to be a relentless league season.

It will be interesting to see if Neil is tempted to delve back into the transfer market to make up for the loss of Ballard but it is more likely that he will trust those already at his disposal, with his injured man hopefully returning at some point this year.

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