Wrighty's all wrong

Stephen Wright has been hit with the news that he is likely to be out for the remainder of the season with an ankle injury.

The Sunderland defender needs surgery on his ankle and is unlikely to be fit before the end of the season.

Wright has only played two first team games this season and boss Mick McCarthy confirmed today that a trip to the operating theatre is Wright's next port of call:

'There could be an ankle operation looming for Wrighty. It's a bone problem rather than a muscle or ligament problem and we'll know more when he has been to see the specialist.

'If he [the specialist] says Wrighty needs an operation, that will be his season over. If he doesn't have the op, it would be possible to get him back at some stage; but either way the operation will need doing at some stage.

'There's no real point in putting it off and trying to patch him up. He's not fit to train so that might take him another two weeks, he could then come back and play one game and then be out for another three weeks. To say he hasn't had much luck this season is putting it mildly.'

Meanwhile both Stephen Elliot and Rory Delap completed 45minutes in the reserve game against Aston Villa, and with Delap in contention for this weekend's trip to Birmingham, while the match coming too soon for the Irish striker to make his eagerly anticipated return.

Despite a strong Sunderland side featuring John Stead, Justin Hoyte, Christian Bassilla and the two aforementioned players, the second string lost 4-0 to a Villa side also featuring the likes of Patrick Berger and De La Cruz.

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