CHRIS COLEMAN hasn’t enjoyed Christmas this year and he has suffered another set-back as Sunderland head into the final game of 2017 with a further injury blow.

The Black Cats boss has not only confirmed that leading scorer Lewis Grabban will be missing when he takes his team to Nottingham Forest tomorrow, he has also revealed defender Tyias Browning should be missing.

Browning has suffered a foot injury after the Boxing Day defeat at Sheffield United which has left Sunderland in the Championship’s bottom three.

The on loan Everton defender has been a key part of a three-man defender under Coleman in recent weeks along with John O'Shea and Marc Wilson. A lack of options could mean a change of system.

Grabban, who has 12 goals, is also not fit to return having missed that trip to Bramall Lane with a calf problem.

Coleman, who has Didier Ndong still missing, said: “We have lost … Lewis is not fit again. Tyias Browning has a badly swollen foot and is extremely doubtful for the first game this weekend. Nobody is going to be back that’s been out either.”

That means Coleman’s options heading to the City Ground are limited. He already has a busy treatment room and that is not helping his attempts to turn things around.

After a promising start under the former Wales boss he was deeply frustrated by the team’s displays against bottom club Birmingham last Saturday and then at Sheffield United on Boxing Day.

Coleman said: “It’s not been a good Christmas at all. Football dictates how you feel. If you are involved at a club, as a player, supporter, your Christmas is dictated by performances and ours weren’t good enough. We came up short.

“It was a pretty unpleasant experience for us. At least in league football you get the chance to put things right. It was disappointing we know that.

"I was looking forward to the game at Sheffield United, they are doing well fighting for something different, but we missed the 90 minutes and that was disappointing.

“We have Forest next and we have to look forward to it. Forget Christmas. We have to put a performance in because we didn’t in the last game.”