Sutton United manager Steve Morison has confirmed the news that one of his players will be sidelined for an extended period.
During an exclusive interview with our National League podcast (NL Natter), Morison revealed that one of his players has suffered an injury setback during Saturday’s 1-1 draw against National League North champions Tamworth.
In what was a frustrating start to their fifth-tier return, Tamworth initially took the lead through Nathan Tshikuna with six minutes left, but in added time, Sutton found themselves on level terms courtesy of substitute Josh Coley.
However, one of Sutton’s players suffered an injury mid-way through the first half, which has seen him swap the pitch for the treatment room with a brief timescale being placed upon his shoulders by Morison himself.
A blow for De Silva
During the off-season, Sutton United clinched the signing of playmaker Dillon De Silva from fellow National League side Wealdstone FC and has already left a significant impression on his new manager, but a first-half injury has seen his start halted.
Speaking to NL Natter, Morison confirmed De Silva’s injury by stating…
“We lost Dillon De Silva to a knee injury, which will rule him out for a few months.
“He was arguably our best player in that first 20 minutes and our best in pre-season.”
Morison’s comments appear to suggest that the 22-year-old has had a strong start to his Sutton career and news of his injury has been seen as a huge blow so early on into the new campaign.
What impact will this have on Sutton United?
Losing De Silva will be a blow for Sutton United and although the club have several replacements such as Siju Odelusi and Nana Boateng, his bright start to the campaign will be an unfortunate miss for the football club, heading into their weekend fixture against Altrincham.
During the 28 minutes that De Silva did play before his injury, he won six duels and completed one successful dribble for Sutton, starting with a bundle of energy.
How much this injury will affect both him and the team remains to be seen, but it will force Morison to make at least one change ahead of this weekend’s match.