Sunderland have suffered a major setback with the news goalkeeper Craig Gordon will miss the start of the season.
The 27-year-old Scotland international sustained a broken arm during training and has been forced to undergo surgery.
Assistant manager Eric Black admits the Black Cats are uncertain on when Gordon will return to action.
Black told Sunderland’s official website: “Craig fell quite innocuously during training but it was obvious something was wrong.
“He was operated on late last night and both Craig and the surgeon are happy with how it went.
“He’s obviously very disappointed, especially after sitting out last season after a very similar kind of injury.
“It’s difficult for us to put a timescale on when he’ll be back and available to play but he’ll certainly miss the start of the season, that’s a guarantee.”