Sunderland‘s Omar Alderete suffered an injury in their Europa League win over AZ Alkmaar on Wednesday.
The Premier League side returned to Europe for the first time in over five decades. Enzo Le Fée’ 66th minute goal helped Sunderland celebrate their European return with a 1-0 win over Alkmaar.
Régis Le Bris started the 29-year-old and summer signing Kevin Danso in the heart of the Black Cats’ defence at the Stadium of Light.
The Paraguay international picked up a yellow card in the 30th minute. He wasn’t able to finish the full 90 minutes because of the setback.
Muscle injury for Sunderland player
Omar Alderete suffered a blow, and Régis Le Bris replaced him with Dan Ballard in the 52nd minute.
Versus Sports in Paraguay states the plan was for the centre-back to play the full 90 minutes against AZ Alkmaar. However, ‘an injury forced him off’ the pitch.
Paraguay will face Bolivia and Colombia in the upcoming international break and manager Gustavo Alfaro is likely to call him up for the friendlies. This suggests his setback isn’t serious.
Journalist Jorge E. Sosa took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share additional updates about the nature of the setback.
He reports the Sunderland player suffered a muscle injury yesterday and the blow is ‘not expected to be serious’.
Régis Le Bris’ side host Manchester City in the league on Sunday. It’s unclear whether he will be available for selection for the weekend clash, and the manager is likely to provide an update in his pre-match press conference.
Our take: Injury not helping Sunderland man
Sunderland signed Omar Alderete from Getafe in August 2025, and he finished his first season with 2,892 minutes from 34 matches.
The defender had concerns over his fitness during the World Cup, forcing him to miss the Round of 32 victory over Germany. He recovered on time for the last 16 defeat to France.
He lost his place in the starting lineup this season. The Paraguayan came off the bench in their league defeat to Ipswich Town in August.
Since then, Régis Le Bris has left him on the bench in the last three league matches and handed him 90 minutes in the EFL Cup win over Hull City. The coach prefers Kevin Danso and Dan Ballard as his two centre-backs in the Premier League.
Although Alderete’s injury isn’t serious, the latest setback makes it more challenging for him to regain his place in Le Bris’ starting lineup.
COMIENZO TRIUNFAL#Sunderland inició su participación en la #EuropaLeague con una victoria por 1-0 ante #AZAlkmaar de Países Bajos.
🇵🇾 Omar Alderete fue titular, pero fue cambiado en el minuto 52′ tras una lesión muscular. Se espera que no revista gravedad.@FALG1080am pic.twitter.com/Y2DzKgWyHX
— Jorge E. Sosa D. (@sosajorge1982) September 16, 2026
