David Moyes is hoping to see Lee Cattermole and Victor Anichebe return to the fold during the March international break.
A leader within the team, Cattermole has missed the last four months after undergoing hip surgery in November, with Anichebe suffering a knee injury on his initial comeback at West Bromwich Albion.
The duo remain key players within the squad, and the Sunderland boss is hoping they can make a big impact in the final ten games of the season.
“We hope that Victor could be back and maybe Catts,” said Moyes.
“I think Catts could get some training in but the one we’re really looking to see if we can get back is Victor."
He continued: “There are no guarantees but I know Victor’s doing a bit more running and hopefully getting closer.
“My bigger worry is how can they get a level of match fitness to make a difference and help us in such a short time.
“I have to hope that we can get them back and give ourselves another dimension, even if it’s getting them back off the bench late on.
“I’ll probably play one [a friendly] this week because we have three games in a week coming up and we’ll need the squad of players we’ve got.”
