Sunderland may not risk Rose return in derby

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Sunderland boss Martin O'Neill has suggested that loanee Danny Rose may not feature in Sunday's tussle with Newcastle United, unless the England Under-21 left-back's head is in the right place following the events of midweek.

Rose was subjected to racist abuse while representing his country in Serbia on Wednesday, a matter which has only been made worse by the Serbian FA's decision to point the finger at the Englishman himself.

Now, with a highly-charged north-east derby on the horizon, Sunderland manager O'Neill has realised the need to approach the situation with caution.

Speaking to The Telegraph, O'Neill said: "I don't think it is something Danny will ever have encountered and I have the utmost sympathy for him. He shouldn't have to endure that and that goes for everybody concerned.

"I’ll take the opportunity to let things lie for a day or two and I’ll speak to him closer to the time and see what state of mind he is in.

"Whether he can take it in his stride, I don’t know. I’ll see whether things die down and then try to focus his mind on the game. It will depend very much on how he feels, but I’m sure he will want to play."

"It would be exceptionally gracious and I’m sure it would be appreciated," said O'Neill.

Gregg Davies
Gregg Davies

Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.