Nathan Broadhead is back training on Wearside, with the on-loan striker's impending return offering Sunderland a much-needed boost in the final months of their faltering season.
Broadhead has not played since suffering a serious hamstring injury in the Black Cats' Carabao Cup quarter-final defeat at Arsenal the week before Christmas, which came at a time when he was a man in form having scored five goals in four games.
He went back to his parent club Everton to undergo treatment and rehabilitation work, but has this week been back at the Academy of Light as he works towards a comeback.
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"Nathan is back with us and he trained yesterday," said boss Alex Neil this morning.
"He's back in the building after having done his rehab at Everton, and he will hopefully come back in [the squad] as soon as he can because we need all hands to the pump to get everybody fit and firing."
Sunderland still have a number of players out of action, with Broadhead joined by the likes of Aiden McGeady, Luke O'Nien, and Lee Burge.
O'Nien posted on social media this week about his struggle to cope with being sidelined for an extended spell, as the midfielder continues his recovery following shoulder surgery which has kept him out since mid-November.
Neil said of O'Nien: "He's making progress.
"He's on non-contact training just now, and I think that will progress to contact pretty quickly."
Sunderland have seen their automatic promotion hopes disappear following a run of just one win in ten games since the turn of the year, and they are currently on a six-game winless streak.
They face a difficult test this weekend when they visit second-placed Wigan Athletic, and Neil hinted at more injury problems which could hamper his side at the DW Stadium.
He said: "I've probably got more problems and less solutions, at this moment in time.
"I'm not going to divulge who that may or may not be, but we have a couple of players we are hoping we can get rolled out in time for the game."
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