Sunderland have been dealt some more injury news alongside Ellis Simms involving Abdoullah Ba.

The Lowdown: Simms setback

Speaking to the media in his pre-game press conference ahead of their match at home to Preston North End in the Championship on Saturday afternoon, Tony Mowbray has confirmed (via The Chronicle) that Simms is unlikely to make his return after suffering some ligament damage on his big toe.

The Everton loanee was forced to come off early in the 3-0 away at Reading before the international break, and so missed their subsequent 2-2 draw against Watford last time out (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Ba also injured

In his conference, Mowbray also confirmed (via The Chronicle) that Ba has suffered a 'dead leg' while on international duty with the France U20 national team, and so he could also miss the Preston clash, although he is still going to train with the squad:

"As for Abdoullah Ba, he picked up a bit of a dead leg, but he is going to train, and we will see how he is."

The Verdict: Not ideal

Potentially having both Simms and Ba ruled out of the game is certainly not ideal for Mowbray and his side.

The Wearside supporters have only seen 11 minutes of the latter in action since arriving in the summer transfer window, and would have hoped that the international break would have given him time to work on his fitness and sharpness, thus being ready to start matches for the Black Cats.

Instead, it is unclear whether Ba will be risked at all for the weekend, with Mowbray unlikely to want to aggravate the injury that he now has.