Sunderland are looking to clear up the treatment table as the business end of the season approaches. The Black Cats have eight games to secure their playoff spot before the real crunch time begins.
Several key first-team players remain injured and getting them fit will hand Alex Neil a trump card in his bid for promotion. Results in League One on Tuesday mean Sunderland are clinging on to sixth place and the return of high-profile stars could give the squad a boost that helps get them over the line.
ChronicleLive details which players are injured and when you can expect to see them back in action.
READ MORE: Ross Stewart Scotland snub could help Sunderland
Danny Batth
One player nearing a comeback is former Wolves defender Danny Batth. The 31-year-old signed on a free transfer last summer and started the first four games of the campaign. An ankle injury has ruled him out ever since, but Neil confirmed he is ‘not far away’ from a long-awaited return.
The Sunderland boss said: “He’s (Batth) been on the grass, he’s been running and he’s been in better nick. He’s not far away now. He’s not trained with us specifically but he’s been doing his own work in terms of changing direction and all that stuff."
Aidan McGeady
The 35-year-old has been out since November with a knee injury and there were fears he could be ruled out until the end of the season. The good news for Sunderland fans is that McGeady is back in light training and could play a vital role during the promotion run-in.
Nathan Broadhead
The Everton loanee had a bright start to the season but a hamstring injury means he has played just once since the start of December. Broadhead did feature against Charlton a fortnight ago but tweaked his hamstring again and missed the two victories against Fleetwood and Crewe.
Neil hinted that Broadhead’s latest hamstring problem is just a minor setback and he could be back soon. He said: “I'm not sure how he'll be, we just need to wait and see next week.”
Alex Pritchard
Pritchard has been sidelined in recent weeks with an ankle injury. Similar to McGeady, it was feared the playmaker would be out for the rest of the season but Neil is optimistic about getting him back soon.
"Alex (Pritchard) is making good progress," Neil said.
"It's not going to be as bad as we first feared. We were probably thinking at the time, we were looking at a six to eight-week injury. It's certainly not going to be as bad as that. That's a positive.
"I don't really want to put a timeframe on it, but it certainly is not in the worst-case scenario and that's pleasing for us."
Lee Burge
There is still no timescale on how long the goalkeeper will be out for following recent heart issues. Burge underwent blood tests in January and discovered he had an inflamed heart.
Jordan Willis
The defender injured his knee over a year ago and is not expected to make an appearance this season.
We want to hear your thoughts, so LOG IN and leave your comment below
