Ballard will be back in the squad for the first time since February today after recovering from a hamstring injury that has forced him to miss Sunderland’s last 11 Championship games.
Cirkin was back on the bench at Oxford last week and got some crucial minutes under his belt in the second half.
And that’s the plan for Ballard today. What happens after that is not as clear, with Le Bris facing some difficult defensive decisions in the play-offs.
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“Dan will follow the same plan as Dennis,” confirmed the head coach yesterday.
“We’ll probably play the last part of the game, around 30-35 minutes.
“After that, because the way he trained the last couple of weeks was really good, he showed that he wants to play.
“For the squad, for the staff, it’s really important to have all our players available. He should be available at that level.”
In Ballard’s absence, Chris Mepham has impressed alongside Luke O’Nien. But Le Bris values Ballard’s qualities enormously, which means the head coach faces a fascinating selection dilemma for the play-off ties.
“The line-up will be connected with the opponent, probably, and if we have more options, it’s better than less options,” he said.
“For me, it’s important for the squad to show that they are ready, and after that, make the decision with the best option before the game.
“After that, for sure, we’ll have two games to play, so different scenarios, different options, different opportunities, and different problems to solve.”
