da betsson： Phil Parkinson is set to be without Conor McLaughlin and Tom Flanagan against MK Dons in Sunderland’s next League One fixture, after the defensive duo were called up to the Northern Ireland squad for their Euro 2020 Play-Off Final tie with Slovakia.
da esoccer bet： Ian Baraclough’s 26-man squad face Slovakia for a last shot at qualifying for next year’s postponed UEFA tournament, before rounding out a triple-header with Nations League ties against Austria and Romania.
McLaughlin was a regular on the international stage for the Green and White Army between 2014 and 2018, but fell down the international pecking order in line with Sunderland’s regression. The 29-year-old has regained his position lately, though, to earn his 38th and 39th caps in October’s Nations League defeats to Austria and Norway.
Flanagan, meanwhile, made his senior international debut in 2017 yet has earned five of his six Northern Ireland caps since September 2019 as a bit-part member of the starting line-up.
Parkinson has relied on both to play key roles in Sunderland’s recent League One efforts, with McLaughlin starting five of the Black Cats’ last six matches and Flanagan opening seven of the Stadium of Light native’s 10 fixtures to date.
Their efforts have helped guide Sunderland into the Play-Off places and sit just four-points behind League One leaders Peterborough, while boasting the third-tier’s joint-best defensive record having allowed just seven goals to be scored against them to date.
But the price of a successful start to the season has ensured two of Parkinson’s favoured defenders have earned their latest international call-ups, and now has an FA Cup clash with Mansfield Town before an EFL Trophy trip to Fleetwood to cast judgment over his defensive options ahead of facing MK Dons on November 14.
Losing Flanagan will come as a bitter blow for Parkinson, as the Black Cats boss has previously lauded the 29-year-old for being a shining example of what other players can achieve when they put their mind to being a success on the pitch.
“Tommy in the last month or so has taken his game to another level,” Parkinson said, via quotes by the Chronicle in February. “That is by identifying what he needs to do to have a good game, and training properly.
“His standard of training has gone up and he is reaping the benefits of that on a match day. He is desperate to do well, he is a good professional and I am pleased with his performances.
“The lads who aren’t in the team, you are judged as a person when you are not in the team. Not just the new lads but the ones like Duncan for instance, who has not been in for a while. He has been excellent.”
Parkinson being robbed of McLaughlin and Flanagan against MK Dons will open the door for Dion Sanderson and Jordan Willis to return to a League One starting line-up.
The Black Cats boss has confirmed the club are managing Willis’ troublesome injury so that he can play a role, noting via the Sunderland Echo: “Jordan needs an injection at some stage. He’s ok to carry on [in the meantime] and so we’re going to give him that injection after the MK Dons game.”
Sanderson made his Sunderland debut in October’s 2-2 draw with Rochdale, where he recorded eight clearances, two interceptions, won eight of 14 duels and completed 81% of his 48 passes, per SofaScore, before serving as an unused substitute at Gillingham and playing the final seconds against Ipswich.
McLaughlin and Flanagan’s unavailability makes the MK Dons clash a firm test to see how Sunderland can respond to defensive changes, and whether or not Sanderson can bring stability to the backline during his season-long loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
AND in other news, an “important” Sunderland leader has smashed Phil Parkinson’s criteria with an instrumental display.