Sunderland lost 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur yesterday, cementing their place in the relegation zone.
Stuart Pearce
Speaking live on Sky Sports’ programme Sky Sports Now at 10:11 AM, Stuart Pearce shared his bemusement at Jason Denayer stepping in to replace Patrick van Aanholt, just minutes before kick-off.
Sunderland lost 1-0 against Tottenham at White Hart Lane yesterday, but it was what happened during the pre-match warm-up that garnered most of the media attention.
Denayer replaced Van Aanholt on the Sunderland team-sheet just minutes before kick-off, with the Black Cats giving the official line that the Dutch left-back was injured.
Sunderland’s Patrick van Aanholt
Speculation has started to mount, however, after television cameras picked up Denayer clearly relaying the message to Van Aanholt that he was being replaced, with the former Chelsea man’s reaction being one of utter shock.
Pearce told Sky Sports how strange he felt the situation was:
Sunderland’s Jason Denayer in action
“I’m flummoxed by it if I’m being quite honest. I’ve never heard anything like it, I’ve known players to get injured in the warm-up, but you can tell by his reaction it’s nothing that’s come from him. The only thing I can think of is the manager has been guided by the doctor at the club in regards to something, or there is an insurance issue, something of that nature.”
David Moyes refused to shed any light on what happened after the game, which only added to the mysterious nature of the situation.
Premier League rules state that clubs must declare their line-ups 75 minutes before kick-off, and can then only make changes due to injury or illness verified by a doctor.
One feels that this is not the last we will hear regarding the late switch, and it will be the last thing that the Black Cats need as they look to excavate themselves from relegation trouble.
Next up for Sunderland is a trip to Queens Park Rangers on Wednesday night in the third round of the EFL Cup.
Sunderland manager David Moyes
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