Sunderland journalist for The Chronicle James Hunter has been left bemoaning the latest injury news on Ross Stewart.

The Lowdown: Up to eight weeks out

The initial concern for Stewart came during the warm-up ahead of their Championship fixture against North East rivals Middlesbrough this week, with manager Tony Mowbray admitting after the game the striker had 'popped' a muscle and could be 'out for either two weeks, four weeks, or eight weeks' depending on the scan.

Now, in a further update from the official website of the Stadium of Light outfit, Mowbray has confirmed that Stewart is at the wrong end of the spectrum and will be out for between six and eight weeks after sustaining a thigh problem.

Dennis Cirkin's injury is less serious, but he is still expected to be out for one or two weeks with the minor hamstring strain that he picked up during the game.

The Latest: Hunter reacts

Taking to Twitter, Hunter gave his instant reaction to the news as it broke, claiming that it is an 'absolutely massive blow' to lose Stewart for so long:

"Stewart missing for eight games at least, then - absolutely massive blow. At least Cirkin’s injury is at the lower end of the scale."

The Verdict: Not ideal

Losing Stewart for what could be nearly the entire couple of months before the FIFA World Cup is certainly not ideal for the Wearside club.

He is currently their top goalscorer and joint-top assister in the Championship, with five goals and three assists in his opening seven matches so far, while he has also picked up one man-of-the-match award and ranks as their overall best performer in the division (WhoScored).

With Ellis Simms the only other recognised centre-forward in the Black Cats squad, a lot of pressure will now be on the young man's shoulders to get the returns missing without Stewart in the team.