It's no secret that Sunderland are plagued by serious bad luck currently on the injury front in the Championship, especially in the centre-back areas with Daniel Ballard and Jenson Seelt both now unavailable.
Away from the back four being ravaged by injuries, which also has seen Niall Huggins and Dennis Cirkin sidelined for the foreseeable, there's one unfortunate casualty further up the field that has been unable to kick a ball this season ever since picking up an injury last September.
In time, Mike Dodds and Co might well have to consider one injury-stricken player's future especially when you consider his wage comes in at a higher amount than first-team regular Pierre Ekwah.
Elliot Embleton's injury troubles at Sunderland
Elliot Embleton will have grown accustomed to watching on from afar owing to recurring injury issues, but at one point, the 24-year-old attacking midfielder was a promising star coming through at the Stadium of Light.
The homegrown Black Cats product had amassed 11 goals from 90 appearances before becoming a permanent fixture in the treatment room, with two of those strikes coming just last season.
Yet, disaster would strike for the ten-time England U20 international out on loan with Paul Warne's Derby County after missing the back end of last campaign due to those same issues.
Embleton would pick up a freak injury training for his new League One side, the Rams boss stating that the 24-year-old midfielder was understandably "heartbroken" by falling victim to an initially innocuous knock that turned out to be a serious injury.
As much as it might pain Sunderland to reconsider Embleton's hefty wage whilst he continues his recovery from another long-term set-back, the unfortunate Black Cats number eight does come in as pocketing £6k-per-week which will be burning a hole in the Wearside club's pocket.
Casting an eye over the Sunderland camp and their respective wages contrasted to Embleton's handsome salary, it could be viewed as a smart move to cut ties with Embleton down the road even if that decision could look rather cut-throat from the outside looking in.
Elliot Embleton's wage compared to the Sunderland squad
The injury-prone midfielder isn't anywhere near the top earners on the Sunderland wage bill, nor is he the most costly absentee using up the Black Cats' money.
21-year-old left-back Cirkin earns £10k-per-week – £4k more than the 24-year-old's salary – despite being sidelined since last November.
Yet, when you consider Ekwah's importance to the Sunderland first-team in a midfield spot once occupied by Embleton, the amount he earns starts to look inflated.
1. Jack Clarke
£16.9k per week
2. Bradley Dack
£15k per week
3. Daniel Ballard
£15k per week
4. Patrick Roberts
£12.5k per week
5. Dennis Cirkin
£10k per week
Rather amazingly, looking at the table above, all five of the highest earners at Sunderland are unavailable for selection owing to niggles and setbacks similar to that of Embleton's.
Away from Dodds tearing his hair out over who to select in Sunderland's coming games, Ekwah comes in at just a £3k-per-week salary even when becoming more of a dependable figure for the interim Black Cats boss to rely on in the absence of so many first-teamers.
That's half of what the forgotten Sunderland number eight earns, despite Ekwah making an appearance in some capacity in 32 of Sunderland's 38 Championship games to date.
Scoring four goals along the way too, Ekwah must feel he's been harshly treated not to have had a wage increase considering how much some of his teammates earn comparatively away from just Embleton.
If Sunderland do end up letting go of Embleton, it will be a sad severing of the ties but one that might allow them to free up the wage bill more effectively.