Manchester United loanee Adnan Januzaj ruled out for six weeks with ankle injury

Manchester United winger Adnan Januzaj, who is on loan at Sunderland, has suffered an ankle injury which will keep him out of action for at least six weeks. The Belgian suffered a setback in Sunderland's 3-2 loss to Crystal Palace, where the Black Cats squandered a two goal advantage.

Sunderland's official website confirmed that the 21-year-old suffered ankle ligament damage, which will keep him out of action over the next two months. Januzaj has been in impressive form over the course of the season, including scoring the winner in their third round clash in the EFL Cup. He underwent scans to confirm the damage on Tuesday and is now looking to get back into action as soon as possible.

The winger has played a part in every Premier League game for the Black Cats, drawing one and losing the rest, which has seen Sunderland drop to the bottom of the table with a solitary point. Januzaj was sent on loan to Borussia Dortmund last season where he hardly got any first team action and was a bit part figure under Louis van Gaal.

Meanwhile, Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe has urged his team to forget about their performance against Palace and put on a valiant performance against West Bromwich Albion to gain three points. The England international conceded that it would be difficult, but need to get their spirits up and get out of the relegation zone.

"It's important we take something from the game but it's also important for the lads to forget about last Saturday. We have to go back to the training pitch, work hard and try to put in the same kind of performance, and hopefully if we get a little bit of luck we will get the points that we need," Defoe said after the game.

"We're improving but when you're 2-0 up and concede within 30 seconds it isn't good enough and I think all the players know that. There were a lot of positives to take from the game – the amount of chances we created and our energy levels, and we put more crosses into the box which is what the manager wanted," he added.