Injury situations on Lee Burge, Jordan Willis, Nathan Broadhead, Aiden McGeady and Luke O'Nien

Sunderland ended their winless run with an emphatic away win against Wigan Athletic on Saturday afternoon.

Ross Stewart took his tally for the season to 22 with two superb penalties, building on Bailey Wright’s first-minute header.

Wigan dominated possession for much of the game but Sunderland produced the kind of battling away performance in front of almost 5,000 travelling fans that has too often eluded them of late.

But how are Sunderland faring up in terms of injuries? Here, we take you through everything you need to know:

Thorben Hoffmann

Sunderland were waiting for the results of blood tests after Thorben Hoffmann missed the defeat to Cheltenham Town and the draw against AFC Wimbledon through illness.

Anthony Patterson has been deputising in his absence and played against Wigan Athletic but Hoffmann has since returned to Sunderland's bench and is thought to be fully fit.

Danny Batth

Danny Batth missed the game against AFC Wimbledon with an ankle injury.

However, it didn’t keep him sidelined for an extended period and he returned to the bench against Burton Albion but didn’t feature.

Batth wasn’t on the bench against Wigan, however, and that has raised questions regarding his overall fitness.

Nathan Broadhead

Before his sacking, Lee Johnson has said that he was “very confident” that Nathan Broadhead will play again for Sunderland this season.

Broadhead suffered a serious hamstring injury at Arsenal in the Carabao Cup quarter-final in December 2021.

It was deemed surgery was not required, which left the Black Cats hopeful that his lay-off would be around three months, rather than the rest of the season.

The striker has been rehabbing at parent club Everton but has now returned to Sunderland and has been pictured out on the grass.

Aiden McGeady and Luke O’Nien

Luke O'Nien and Aiden McGeady are both on track in their recoveries from shoulder and knee problems respectively.

Both have been out on the grass at the Academy of Light this week.

O'Nien was ruled out for three months in late November, while McGeady was ruled out for a similar timeframe around the same time.

Johnson, before his departure, stated that O’Nien could be back playing sooner than McGeady owing to the midfielder’s fitness and an on-going problem with the attacker’s medial ligament.

Lee Burge

Lee Burge is facing an extended absence from Sunderland action as the club continue to monitor his recent heart issues.

Burge underwent blood tests in the aftermath of his positive COVID-19 test at the end of January, the results of which raised some concerns.

As a result, the 29-year-old is facing a period of rest of around a month, after which he will undergo another round of tests.

Sunderland are confident that the issue identified will clear at that point, and that the goalkeeper will make a full recovery.

Jordan Willis

A recent 'failed operation' has resulted in Jordan Willis' patella tendon snapping for a second time.

The defender initially suffered the setback last April.

Since then, Willis hasn’t been seen in a Sunderland shirt but has been keeping busy at the Academy of Light.

That’s after he was handed some analysis and scouting responsibilities by ex-head coach Lee Johnson.

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