Sunderland have confirmed that theirskipper Lee Cattermole will be out for four months after having hip surgery in the United States.
Cattermole hasn't featured for the Black Cats since September, due to a back injury, and has only made three appearances for the club this season.
Sunderland, who are rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table, having won just one game out of 11 this term, have put out a statement via their Twitter account, which reads: "Lee Cattermole has undergone hip surgery in the US due to torn cartilage and will be out for a minimum of 4 months."
CONFIRMED: Lee Cattermole has undergone hip surgery in the US due to torn cartilage and will be out for a minimum of 4 months. #SAFC pic.twitter.com/l0cIDl2C7C
This comes as abit of a blow to David Moyes, who has Fabio Borini, Jack Rodwell and Vito Mannone marked down as unavailable.
Steven Pienaar is also out with a suspension after picking up two yellow cards in his last game, a 2-1 win over Bournemouth.