SUNDERLAND defender Papy Djilobodji faces a possible FA ban after being caught on camera striking West Brom captain Darren Fletcher.

FA officials are expected to examine replays today of the 86th-minute incident in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at The Hawthorns that left the Black Cats bottom of the Premier League.

And the Senegalese defender is likely to be charged with violent conduct unless match referee Craig Pawson tells the FA he saw the clash at the time and deemed it accidental.

Djilobodji swung his arms while grappling with Fletcher at a free-kick and appeared to catch the Scotland international’s chin with two hands.

A charge for the defender would leave Moyes with an extra problem after the beleaguered manager admitted some of his error-prone defenders are safe from the axe because of the weakness of his squad.

Given he has already been sent off against Hull City this season, Djilobodji would be facing a potential four-match ban if he was found guilty of violent conduct.

Moyes had 11 players missing on Saturday, including three at the Africa Cup of Nations, and has already admitted that significant January reinforcements are unlikely.

“New faces do help and for us competition is important but we are a bit limited in terms of what we can do,” said Moyes. “People can probably make mistakes for us and be in the team next week because of where we are at.

“That is partly to do with injuries and partly to do with people being away. We could do with more competition if we can get it. But if nothing else, George Honeyman has come in and done as well as anybody.

“I think we will work hard to get people in. As I said earlier, we are not that far away and it might sometimes need something to spark it and I will try and find it.

“I said in the press conference that January looked tough for us because all the games at Christmas and New Year and then coming out of it we had to send boys away.

“Knowing there weren’t many coming back in the short-term, I knew we would have roughly the same group of players for most of the games in January.

“But hey, we have been here before and hopefully we can get away from it. We went on a good run round about November time so we need to try to do it again.

“This is a tough period. Obviously the situation we are in is disappointing but I think you have to keep doing the basics well.

“If you were being fair you would say the basics are not what we are doing well. The basics on the pitch are making sure you block shots, do all those things and be in the correct position in the first place, all those sort of things. I just don't think we are doing the basics well enough.”

Hacving handed a trial to Joleon Lescott at the end of last week, Sunderland have also been linked with a possible move for 36-year-old free agent Robbie Keane.

Keane is cuurently out of contract, having left LA Galaxy at the end of the last MLS season.