Jack Ross on a 'big boost' as Bryan Oviedo makes strong return to Sunderland starting XI

Oviedo had a long spell on the sidelines after a January deadline day switch to West Brom fell through.

The Costa Rican then suffered a spell of minor injuries, twice to his calf and once to his knee.

That made his training time severely limited, with Reece James and Denver Hume pushing ahead of him in the pecking order.

But the 29-year-old came off the bench to make a contribution in the 2-1 win over Rochdale on Saturday and then performed well against Burton Albion.

It was his first league start of 2019.

"I had no doubts he would [perform]," Ross said.

"He is a good player and a quality player.

"He did his defensive job very well tonight, that's a tough difficult opponent in Lucas Akins and Bryan did very well.

"The quality he provides in forward areas is always there so I'm pleased for him," he added.

"He's had to be patient so it's a plus for me to have a player of his quality in that frame of mind."

Oviedo has a strong chance of retaining his place for the visit of Coventry City on Saturday, with Reece James set to miss out again through injury.