Tony Mowbray’s triple Sunderland injury boost as players return to training ahead of Swansea City fixture

Sunderland playmaker Adil Aouchiche has been training with the first team and could return to the squad for this weekend’s trip to Swansea.

The 21-year-old has missed the side’s last two matches against Leicester and Norwich with a groin issue but has been recorded taking part in Tuesday’s training session at the Academy of Light. Ahead of Saturday’s 3-1 win over Norwich, Sunderland head coach Tony Mowbray said: “Adil, the medical report tells me it’s one to two weeks so that’s not going to be a long problem.”

Eliezer Mayenda could also be part of Sunderland’s squad for Saturday’s match at Swansea, after recovering from a hamstring issue which has kept him sidelined since pre-season. When asked about the 18-year-old after the Norwich game, Mowbray replied: “I think he probably could have been on the bench but if he’s telling the medical department he’s feeling his hamstring a little bit, even though he finished the whole training session yesterday, I made the call.”

Aji Alese is another player who has been stepping up his recovery following a thigh issue, with the defender also pictured on the training pitches at the Academy of Light. The 22-year-old is yet to feature this season after undergoing surgery over the summer, while he’s expected to receive some game time for the under-21s side after a lengthy layoff.

“We have to be mindful of not rushing him back,” said Mowbray when asked about Alese before last month’s match against Stoke. “He was almost there, he just felt a little tweak but that is very common in these scenarios. A couple of weeks, and I’m pretty sure Aji will be back.”