Sunderland AFC have been dealt yet another injury blow, with star goalkeeper Jordan Pickford been ruled out for up to two months with a knee injury.

Major disappointment

Pickford has been touted as one of the hottest prospects at the Academy of Light for a number of years, and finally got his big opportunity in the absence of the injured Vito Mannone.

The Washington-born keeper grabbed his opportunity with both hands, as he has put in some excellent performances and saving crucial points for the Black Cats which earned him a call-up to the England senior squad.

However the 22-year-old suffered injury during the 3-1 defeat to Manchester United, and manager David Moyes shared the news ahead of Saturday's clash with Burnley:

“There is good news and bad news. The good news is that he hasn’t ruptured his ACL." However, he added: "But the bad news is that he’s strained it a little bit, so it looks like he will be out for six to eight weeks."

Moyes continued, “It’s a major disappointment to us and more importantly for the boy." The Scot admitted: "Because he’s been playing so well and he’s been saving us points.

"I think Jordan is one of the brightest young prospects in England at this moment in time," Moyes concluded. “Vito has been training for many weeks now since his injury and we’re glad of his experience.”

Willing to fight

Despite Saturday's defeat the Black Cats have been inspired form in the past few weeks, winning four of their last eight clashes.

However they still sit in the relegation zone ahead of Saturday's crucial clash at Turf Moor, and midfielder Sebastian Larsson stated that the side are ready for the fight at the bottom: “We’ve shown we are willing to fight already this season." He said, "That’s going to be crucial because we know more points are at stake.”

The Swede stated, “We need to take our chances when they fall our way and make sure we get something out of the game." The midfielder admitted, “We have been in this position before so we know what we've got to do. It’s all about picking up points."

Larsson concluded, “Points are what we need. That’s got to be our focus when we go to Burnley.”

Sunderland will take on Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday, December 31 with kick-off at 3pm GMT.