Sunderland have struggled in front of goal this season, but Brian Brobbey’s return could give Regis Le Bris a timely boost ahead of Saturday’s clash with Leeds United. The Black Cats have scored just six Premier League goals in seven games, a major reason they sit 20th in the table.

Brobbey had made a positive impression before picking up a hamstring injury on international duty with the Netherlands, and his return could provide a welcome boost. The 24-year-old has already shown how important he can be to Le Bris’ side, and Sunderland will hope he can make an immediate impact as they look to find their scoring touch.

Sunderland’s attacking stats show why Brian Brobbey is so important

Brian Brobbey has scored three goals from 3.64 xG in the Premier League this season. He is slightly underperforming his expected goals, but both totals are comfortably the highest in Sunderland’s squad.

Enzo Le Fee has scored once from 1.93 xG, while Wilson Isidor has one goal from 1.65 xG. Nilson Angulo has also scored once, despite recording just 0.66 xG. Sunderland’s other 19 players have yet to score in the league, with a combined 2.57 xG.

The figures show that Sunderland’s problem is not simply a lack of creativity. They rank seventh in the Premier League for xG created, ahead of both Chelsea and Liverpool, but have struggled to turn those opportunities into goals.

Brobbey is not finishing at an exceptional rate, but he is getting into dangerous positions and finding the net. His three goals account for half of Sunderland’s league total, showing how important he has been to their attack.

The Dutchman finished as Sunderland’s top league goalscorer last season with seven goals, ahead of Isidor on six and Le Fee on five. He started this campaign well before his injury, and the Black Cats will hope he can build on that form.

Timur Tutyerov provided another positive moment on Thursday, scoring in the second minute of Sunderland’s 1-1 Europa League draw away to Lech Poznan. However, the youngster is not yet as proven as Brobbey, whose return should give Regis Le Bris a more reliable goalscoring option.

Sunderland also have problems defensively, ranking second-highest in the Premier League for xG against. They cannot afford to keep wasting chances when opponents are creating so many opportunities of their own.

Brian Brobbey injury news ahead of Sunderland vs Leeds

Brian Brobbey suffered a hamstring injury while on international duty with the Netherlands. He was later named in Sunderland’s squad for the Europa League game against Torreense, only to be omitted from the Bournemouth match a few days later amid concerns he had suffered a setback.

Le Bris has since provided a positive update, confirming that Brobbey has returned to training and should be available against Leeds.

“Brian is in a good place, he has trained with the squad the last 10 days more or less, and knowing that it was an hamstring injury, it’s always important to take care of him and not rush the process, so we are on the way,” Le Bris said. “He should be ready for Leeds.”

Brobbey’s return could not come at a better time. Sunderland need to turn their promising underlying numbers into goals, and their leading scorer gives them a better chance of doing exactly that.