Sunderland's transfer strategy could be tested as Black Cats sweat on injury news: View | OneFootball

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Sunderland weren't afraid to let some of their more experienced players leave during the summer transfer window.

Considering they already had a reasonably young squad at that point, their decision to either release or cash in on some of their older heads came as a slight surprise to some, even with the club's focus on youth in mind.

Bailey Wright terminated his contract by mutual consent, Carl Winchester departed on the expiration of his deal. And Lynden Gooch, who had spent more than a decade at the Stadium of Light, was sold to Stoke City.

Even Ross Stewart can be seen as an experienced player at 27 - and Danny Batth followed him out of the exit door during the latter stages of the previous window as he joined Norwich City.

Considering Batth had won the supporters' Player of the Year award at the end of last season and had played a big part in guiding the Black Cats into the play-off zone, his departure was met with a very mixed reception.

A man of his experience helped to complement a young side - and his absence was sorely felt during the play-offs - with Luton Town able to capitalise on the Wearside club's defensive injury issues by securing a 2-0 win in the second leg of the play-off semis.

What centre-back options do Sunderland have?

The Black Cats have a respectable number of options in central defence when they are all fit.

However, Aji Alese has been out injured and Dennis Cirkin has also struggled with injuries at times, pulling out of the Birmingham City game after initially being named in the starting 11.

In terms of their other options, Daniel Ballard and Luke O'Nien are usually two of the first names on the teamsheet when available - but both were unavailable for the Birmingham clash and that meant Jenson Seelt and Nectarios Triantis started together against Wayne Rooney's side with Cirkin out.

Seelt and Triantis (both 20) did a respectable job, with the latter even playing a major role in the Black Cats' second goal in their 3-1 win against Blues.

But it remains to be seen whether the duo can perform well in the long term considering their inexperience.

O'Nien and Ballard are the obvious two that start together when everyone's fit, with the former performing excellently at the back and the latter attracting Premier League interest in the past with some of his performances.

Why may Sunderland regret selling Danny Batth after Daniel Ballard update?

Batth made the move to Norwich and although that could have been a risky move with the Canaries previously looking like a potential promotion rival, David Wagner's side haven't managed to build on that since.

However, the 33-year-old's departure could still be costly.

Ballard is an injury concern after he sustained a hamstring injury and at the moment, it's currently unclear how long he will be out for.

Cirkin is a good potential replacement for Ballard - but the former Tottenham Hotspur man may be required at left-back with Niall Huggins susceptible to sustaining injuries.

And it wouldn't be a surprise if one of Seelt or Triantis needs to play regularly if Ballard is ruled out for a while.

Even though one of the two could potentially step up and do a good job, they are inexperienced and that isn't ideal for a side pushing for promotion.

Having someone like Batth in the first 11 would be much less of a risk - and you have to wonder whether the Black Cats will end up regretting selling the 33-year-old.

He may not have generated a huge amount of profit in terms of a future sale - but his on-field contributions would have been valuable if last season's performances were anything to go by.