Tony Mowbray expects contract talks with Ross Stewart to intensify despite the striker's injury lay-off - with Sunderland keen to tie the Scotland international down to a new deal.
Discussions between Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman and Stewart's camp have been running since last year but as yet no agreement has been reached, and in the interim the Black Cats have triggered an option to extend his current contract for a further 12 months until the summer of 2024.
Stewart was in red hot form this season, scoring 10 Championship goals in just 13 appearances before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury at the end of January in Sunderland's FA Cup tie at Fulham. And far from the injury leading to contract talks being put on the back burner, Mowbray feels they should be stepped up in the coming weeks.
"I would expect [the talks] to intensify, to be honest," said Mowbray. "We should be trying to get Ross Stewart signed up long-term.
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"Again, as I've said many times, it's not my job [to hold contract talks] but, in my mind, if he he is the player who you think can score the goals for this club moving forward, then you need to do it if you believe in the footballer and the guy. The dynamics change a bit for both parties [because of the injury], but in my mind it would be 'let's get the offer that looks enticing for Ross and his family, let's get him tied up and move forward'."
Following the injury, the 26-year-old underwent surgery last week and has gone home to Scotland for a week's recuperation before he returns to Wearside to begin his rehabilitation work. Mowbray said: "Ross has had his surgery and he has gone back to Scotland for a week.
"It's not something you can rush from the first day after having an operation, it needs to settle down and then the proper rehab will start in a week or so once the swelling and the soreness from the operation has gone. He'll be fine, he's a strong personality, he'll get on with it.
"I'm sure he'll be spending a lot of time in the gym and the rehab pool and what have you over the next few months."
Stewart scored 26 goals to power Sunderland to promotion from League One via the play-offs last season, and this is his first year in the Championship. He has already missed three-and-a-half months of the campaign due to a thigh problem he picked up at the beginning of September, but when he returned in December he immediately hit the ground running and scored six goals in eight games in all competitions before suffering the Achilles injury.
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