Nathan Broadhead will be fit to play again for Sunderland this season, according to Lee Johnson.
The on-loan Everton striker has returned to Goodison Park while he undergoes rehab after suffering a torn hamstring in the Black Cats' Carabao Cup quarter-final defeat at Arsenal just before Christmas.
Broadhead was originally expected to be out for at least three months and possibly for the remainder of the season.
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But the news at the beginning of January that the 23-year-old would not need surgery meant the timescale was expected to be closer to the three month estimate which would suggest a return in late March.
And Johnson says the regular progress reports that Sunderland have received from the Toffeemen have all been positive, meaning Broadhead is on course to play a part in Sunderland's promotion run-in.
"Nathan has been doing his rehab at Everton and we've stayed in touch with them on a regular basis," said Johnson.
"He seems to be progressing quite nicely from all the intel we are getting back from Everton, which is good.
"It's the best-case scenario at the moment.
"I can't give you a definite date [for his return] but Everton are very happy with his progress, and that is great to hear.
"I'm confident that he will play for us again before the end of the season - and I'm very, very happy with that."
Had Broadhead been ruled out for the season, there was a chance that Sunderland and Everton might have decided to terminate his loan which would give the Black Cats more latitude to bring in another frontman.
But Johnson is pleased that that is now a non-issue because the player is expected to recover before the end of the campaign.
He said: "That [a recall] won't happen now.
"The only chance that that would have happened was if the player was out for the rest of the season and if Everton were unbelievably generous and called him back, or because they wanted to play him."
Broadhead was in excellent form when he suffered the injury, having hit six goals in six games in all competitions, and he was proving the ideal foil for Ross Stewart.
Sunderland are looking to bring in another striker this month as cover for Stewart and to add some strength in the final third while Broadhead remains out.
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