Netherlands manager Xavi has suggested they knew that Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey was going to drop out of their squad this week.
Brobbey was initially selected for this international break after playing for Sunderland in the last few weeks.
But Sunderland had hinted that they were seeking talks with the Netherlands about the situation. Manager Regis le Bris openly admitted they would hold talks about the striker’s fitness and him potentially missing out.
Instead the striker was called up and linked up with the squad this week, before then dropping out of the squad on Wednesday.
Injury confusion
There has been confusion about the situation, though. While Sunderland’s issues had been over a hamstring injury, the report yesterday stated that Brobbey had suffered a ‘small tear’ in his upper leg.
There was no indication of where he’d picked that new injury up. Some had feared it was in training with the Netherlands. Now Xavi has admitted they knew there would be issues.
“It’s no surprise, as we were in constant contact,” Xavi stated during a press conference today.
So the question is whether Brobbey’s absence is due to the previous hamstring injury, or the new ‘small tear’. The latter was reportedly set to leave him out for weeks.
Sunderland won’t be happy
Either way, Sunderland won’t be happy. Brobbey is very much a key player for the Black Cats and demonstrated that in the 1-0 win over Chelsea before the break.
Losing their number one striker – who has three goals and one assist in nine games to date – is something they will have been key to avoid.
Now they are facing the prospect of an absence in what is the busiest and most demanding part of the season.
With Xavi insisting that him pulling out of the squad was no surprise, it raises more questions. Why did they bother calling him up in the first place?
