Sunderland host Nottingham Forest within the Premier League on Friday night.
After a interval on the therapy desk, the centre-back got here off the bench to characteristic in Sunday’s dramatic 4-3 defeat in opposition to Aston Villa, and can presumably be a viable choice to begin on the Stadium of Light on Friday evening.
In his absence, membership stalwart Luke O’Nien has deputised for Ballard, however regardless of being impressed by the 31-year-old, Phillips has admitted that it will be no nice shock to see the Northern Ireland worldwide recalled by Regis Le Bris.
What has Kevin Phillips mentioned about Sunderland defender Dan Ballard?
Speaking completely to The Echo, courtesy of BestBettingSites, Phillips claimed {that a} straight swap with O’Nien might be a chance, as might the prospect of Ballard coming in for Omar Alderete, who was taken off injured in opposition to Villa final trip.
He mentioned: “Luke’s been doing fantastic since he came in. He’s come in for a little bit of criticism as well, which is a bit harsh, because I think he’s done brilliantly. But I expect Dan Ballard to come into the side either way.
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“Alderete went off injured, so potentially it could be Luke O’Nien and Ballard. I think if Alderete is fit, Regis Le Bris will probably bring Dan Ballard back into the side – and that has been the major partnership throughout the season. So to be able to get them back together, I fully expect him to do that.”
