Lynden Gooch is unlikely to feature in Sunderland's trip to Blackburn Rovers tomorrow - although Tony Mowbray stopped short of ruling him out entirely. Gooch went off at half-time in the Black Cats' 2-1 home win against Wigan Athletic on Saturday after suffering a foot injury.
Mowbray said after the game that Gooch would be assessed ahead of the trip to Ewood Park, and today he confirmed that the versatile right-back would undergo a scan as a precaution. "I don't think Lynden's going to be available, although it's Lynden Gooch we’re talking about, so he might well come in and say he's feeling great," said Mowbray.
"It's not a really serious one, although I think he is going to get a scan today just because if he's got discomfort, we need to make sure that it's either nothing and something he can almost strap up and get on with, or if it is something more serious, we’ll be able to put a timescale on it. You always have to factor in the human being you’re dealing with, along with his pain threshold and how he deals with stuff."
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If Gooch is unable to play, Mowbray could shift Luke O'Nien to right-back - as he did in the second half against Wigan - or bring Trai Hume into the side. Sunderland will also have skipper Corry Evans available again tomorrow after he served a one-match suspension which ruled him out at the weekend, after accumulating five yellow cards.
Striker Ellis Simms began training last week as he continues his comeback from a toe injury and, while he is not yet ready to return, Mowbray says the on-loan Everton man is making good progress. Mowbray said: "He isn't far away from being fit, to be honest.
"He's been on the training pitch for the last few days, he hasn't joined in with the team but he's going box-to-box, hitting little volleys and sidefoots, bouncing it off boards, twisting and turning, running through the posts, opening his legs and striding out. He's kicking footballs, which is telling me without sitting down with the physio and demanding to know when he will be available, that he is getting closer and closer.
"In the next few games, fingers crossed you'll find him on the bench. He won't be that far away."
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