Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce was thrilled with both his side’s performance and the result as two of his January signings helped them record a 2-1 win over Manchester United on Saturday.
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Larsson had just secured a place in Allardyce’s starting XI when he suffered the injury in November after the reigning Player of the Year had found himself limited to a substitute’s role under Dick Advocaat.
“Hopefully, hopefully, those players will make us better – and I think make the rest of the players better”.
Not that he ever thought a job he calls his toughest in football was a lost cause and he would be unable to save Sunderland.
“The injury to Younes Kaboul was a big blow because we’d got him fit”, added Allardyce.
“Not at any stage, even when we lost five on the trot, I always believed we could stay up”.
Last season we stayed up because we drew most of the games we played.
Sunderland are refusing to comment on former England and Manchester City winger Johnson’s continued employment until legal hearings are concluded.
Louis van Gaal’s United started dreadfully at the Stadium of Light and fell behind to Khazri’s third-minute free-kick, which travelled across a crowded penalty area without anyone making contact and crept inside David de Gea’s far post.
“I’ve not done my job yet – we won’t know until we find out at the end of the season how good I have been”, said Allardyce.
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He said: “With a result as big as this one, I hope it lifts their confidence brilliantly for the big push to try to get out of the trouble that we are in”. “Since the window I’ve got four in”.
