Sunderland have now lost more than 1,000 days to injury this season - the highest total in the Premier League.

And Sportsmail can also reveal that David Moyes has seen his squad suffer 46 separate injuries, another unwanted top-flight record.

Indeed, Moyes could arguably name a stronger starting XI from those players missing than the team he will pick for tonight’s FA Cup third round replay at Burnley.

David Moyes' Sunderland team are the most injured side in the Premier League, stats show

The injury list is crippling for a boss who already has limited tools available to him. Moyes insists it is not his training methods which are the cause of the problems and with key players such as Jordan Pickford, Duncan Watmore and Jan Kirchhoff all having suffered serious knee injuries during matches, the Scot has a point.

But the data gathered by premierinjuries.com does not make for easy reading for Moyes or his medical department.

Only 34-year-old fitness obsessive Jermain Defoe has appeared in each of their 21 league games and just five of his team-mates have started more than 11 matches.

The Black Cats are currently nursing eight senior players back to fitness, while another three are absent at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Their shortage showed on Saturday as they were beaten 3-1 at home to Stoke to leave them joint bottom of the table. It was the first time since 2001 that Sunderland had failed to make a single substitution in the Premier League and Moyes said afterwards that those on the bench simply weren’t as good as those on the pitch.

The Black Cats face an selection dilemma against Burnley with so many players out crocked

Sunderland top the list of injury-hit teams

It leaves the manager with a selection dilemma ahead of the trip to Turf Moor. He knows the value of a victory when it comes to lifting morale and the prospect of a home tie against Fleetwood or Bristol City is attractive.

But with a league game at West Brom next up on Saturday he is also minded to rest the likes of 12-goal top scorer Defoe and instead play youngsters such as 17-year-old striker Joel Asoro.

Moyes, who has presented his desperate case for reinforcements to owner Ellis Short, said: ‘I’m glad we’re still in the cup and I would like to go through, but I wouldn’t swap it over being in the Premier League, I can tell you that.

‘But any win can boost us right now. We’ve been to Burnley already though (lost 4-1 on New Year’s Eve) so we know how strong they are at home.’

At the other end of the injury table, this season’s surprise package West Brom - who are currently eighth - have lost just 189 cumulative days to 16 separate injuries.

Meanwhile, early-season strugglers West Ham are Sunderland’s closest rivals with 39 different problems having contributed to 985 days missed.

Seeing players go down injured has become a familiar occurrence for Sunderland fans

Sunderland missing XI (3-5-2): Pickford; McNair, Kirchhoff, Kone; Pienaar, Ndong, Cattermole, Gooch, Khazri; Watmore, Anichebe

Sunderland likely XI at Burnley (4-2-3-1): Mannone; Jones, O’Shea, Djilobodji, Van Aanholt; Rodwell, Denayer; Larsson, Januzaj, Borini; Defoe