Defensive crisis faces Wearsiders as Browning is out for season

TY Browning has played his final game for Sunderland after being ruled out for the rest of the season with a groin injury. The on-loan Everton defender suffered the injury in the first half of the Black Cats’ 3-0 midweek defeat against Aston Villa at the Stadium of Light. Boss Chris Coleman says the injury is similar to that sustained by Darron Gibson on New Year’s Day and will John O’Shea therefore require the same 12-week recovery time.

While Browning will stay on Wearside until his loan ends in the summer, he will miss all of Sunderland’s 10 remaining games.

Coleman confirmed: “Ty will be out for the rest of the season.

“He has the same injury as Darron Gibson, his muscle has completely come off the bone, so he will not be ready for the rest of the season unfortunately for Ty and unfortunately for us.

“I don’t want to dwell on it because I don’t want to make excuses, but of course he is a loss. He is a big personality in the dressing room, even though he has been having a tough time of it of late.

“He lost a bit of confidence but then came back and did well at Millwall. It is a blow for us we do not have him available now.

“There is nothing we can do. He is Everton’s player but he is going to stay with us until the end of the season.”

Skipper John O’Shea is a major doubt for this weekend’s game at QPR and, with Browning also missing, Jake Clarke-Salter serving the final game of his three-match ban and Marc Wilson not yet ready to return, it leaves Coleman down to the bare bones with Lamine Kone his only fit senior centre-back.

That could mean another on-loan Everton man, Brendan Galloway, coming into Coleman’s thinking having played several games in central defence for the under-23s.

Coleman added: “Sheasy got a kick and he is a doubt for Saturday, it depends how quickly it settles down.

“He did not train on Thursday, he has had treatment and we will have a look at it. I am not hopeful.”