Dylan McGeoch is nearing a return to fitness, with Jack Ross hoping the Scotland international can feature in Sunday’s game against Scunthorpe United.
Although he was unable to say for certain, the Sunderland manager revealed the midfielder is ‘edging ever closer’ to making his competitive debut for the Lads.
Glenn Loovens and Adam Matthews will be available after missing Thursday’s Carabao Cup tie, with the former rested against his previous employers.
And speaking to safc.com, Ross provided further encouragement on the injury front, revealing Donald Love, Tom Flanagan, Jerome Sinclair and Charlie Wyke are way ahead of schedule.
“Glenn certainly and Adam certainly [will be back for the weekend],” said Ross.
“Ethan was on the bench on Thursday night as he only trained on Wednesday, but he should train again on Friday and should be fine.”
He continued: “Dylan is edging ever closer and I can’t say for certain, but I’m hopeful he may be involved on Sunday as well.
“Guys like Jerome, Charlie, Tom and Donald are way ahead of schedule, and it’s encouraging for me to see that individual desire to get back quicker.
“If I was a forward player, I’d look forward to playing in that team as we got into really good areas on Thursday evening, and I’m sure they will be excited about that.”