Luke O'Nien may need a shoulder operation - but Lee Johnson is hoping the midfielder can play on until the summer.
O'Nien suffered a dislocated shoulder in December, and the injury has flared up on a couple of occasions since.
It happened again in Sunderland's 1-0 win against AFC Wimbledon, but the Black Cats' medical staff were able to put the shoulder back in place at the side of the pitch and O'Nien completed the game.
Ultimately, O'Nien is likely to need the shoulder pinned but Johnson hopes the situation can be managed over the course of the current season so that he does not miss a chunk of the campaign.
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"The physios and the doctor have done a great job again," said Johnson.
"When the shoulder dislocates, the danger is the length of time it is out - if it's three or four hours, that's a big problem but if it is 20 seconds it's better.
"Hopefully he will be able to get through to the end of the season, but inevitably he will probably need that shoulder pinned eventually.
"For now though, if he can handle it keeping on popping out and back in then we will be OK.
"It's a fine line, though. You want to protect him long-term, but at the same time we need him."
