Jordan Willis looks set for an extended lay-off after being stretchered off at Shrewsbury with a suspected ruptured patella tendon.
Sunderland boss Lee Johnson said after the 2-1 defeat that Willis’ knee injury looks ‘a really bad one’.
The centre-back slipped and fell awkwardly just three minutes into the match, and required lengthy treatment before he left the pitch.
“We lost Jordan early and that looks a really bad one,” said Johnson.
“We feel for him massively.
“It looks like he’s ruptured his patella, which would be a bad one.
“Obviously, we won’t know until we’ve had a proper look. That’s the worst-case scenario, but it seems that way.”
Losing Willis so soon meant an early change as Dion Sanderson replaced him, but Johnson is not using the injury as an excuse as Sunderland let their first-half lead slip, allowing Shrewsbury to turn the game round in the second period.
He said: “Jordan was a big loss, but I don’t think that necessarily disrupted the rhythm of the side [on the night].
“At key points, you just can’t make the individual errors that we’ve been doing over the last two or three games.”
Sunderland’s new prospective owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus made an unexpected appearance at the New Meadow, watching the game from the stands alongside sporting director Kristjaan Speakman.
Louis-Dreyfus is the French billionaire heir who is in the process of acquiring a majority stake in the club from Stewart Donald, and his takeover deal is currently being scrutinised by the EFL.
Johnson said: “Obviously I have been in contact with him ever since it was publicly known.
“I’m really looking forward to working with him.
“It’s what the club needs, it will give everybody a boost, and the quicker they [Louis-Dreyfus and Donald] can get it [the takeover] over the line, the better.”
