Switzerland manager Murat Yakin says he will have to manage Sunderland star Granit Xhaka’s minutes during the March international break.
The midfielder suffered an ankle injury in January which kept him out of action for more than a month and during this time he missed five matches for the Premier League team.
Since regaining full fitness in February, he has made six appearances for Sunderland, including an FA Cup defeat to Port Vale.
Xhaka played the full 90 minutes [after the setback] The Black Cats followed up their league defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion and a 2-1 derby win over Newcastle United at the weekend.
The 33-year-old arrived at the Stadium of Light from Bayer Leverkusen in July 2025. At the end of last year, he said Sunderland boss Kirill Louis-Dreyfus reassured To join her club.
His decision to move to the Premier League team was successful as Regis Le Bris immediately gave him the armband and used it regularly. Below are his Premier League statistics
- Appearances: 27
- Start: 25
- Minutes: 2,273
- Minutes per game: 84
This reflects his importance to both Le Bris and the Premier League teams, while he also has a similar role in the national team. Yakin is happy that his captain has regained full fitness but wants to avoid any potential overload for Xhaka.
Manager happy with Xhaka’s return
blick Cover Murat Yakin comments on the fitness of Sunderland star Granit Xhaka. He stresses the need to respect the former Arsenal player’s body for upcoming fixtures.
“I’m in close contact with Granite. I’m not worried; he knows his body,” He said.
The coach wants to utilize him while he also wants to play for his country as much as possible.
Despite this, Yakin explained: “We will discuss how long he will play.”
The Sunderland player will see less game time in the next two matches compared to the World Cup qualifiers.
Yakin’s team for the March international break
Switzerland has to play two friendly matches against Germany [on Friday] and Norway on 31 March.
Murat Yakin’s full team for these two matches:
Goalkeepers: Gregor Kobel, Yvonne Mvogo, Marvin Keller
Defenders: Manuel Akanji, Aurelie Amanda, Ere Comart, Nico Alvedi, Luca Jacquez, Miro Muhim, Ricardo Rodriguez, Silvan Vidmar.
Midfielders: Michel Abischer, Remo Freuler, Arden Jashari, Johan Mzambi, Fabian Ryder, Vincent Siero, Djibril Sove, Granit Xhaka and Denis Zakaria
Forwards: Briel Embolo, Noah Okafor, Joel Monteiro, Dan Ndoye, Alvin Sanchez, Ruben Vargas
🇳🇱Brian Brobbie | “There were problems.”
✅ Ronald Koeman gives credit for Sunderland move
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➡️Working out is great for everyonehttps://t.co/D9G6SSNZRf #safc– Sports Witness (@Sport_Witness) 24 March 2026
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