Richardson could be out until Christmas

11:39am Wednesday 12th September 2007

SUNDERLAND have been rocked by the news that Kieran Richardson is facing up to three months on the sidelines through injury.

The £5.5m signing from Manchester United has not played since withdrawing from the defeat to Liverpool on August 25 with a stress fracture of the back.

Subsequent tests have revealed the injury is worse than initially feared and it could be December before he makes a return to action.

Richardson is booked into see a surgeon later today but there is little chance of the situation improving.

And in a further blow to manager Roy Keane, it has now emerged that influential winger Carlos Edwards will be missing for a further three weeks. It had been hoped that Edwards - who has not played since the second game of the season with hamstring trouble - would face Reading on Saturday.

It is the third major set-back to Keane, who is also without captain Dean Whitehead for six months with knee ligament damage.