Mixed Sunderland injury news plus opportunity for young striker: What we learnt from open training session

Upon their arrivals members of the first-team squad stopped to sign autographs ahead of a light one-and-a-half hour session.

Tony Mowbray’s side are stepping up preparations for Saturday’s trip to Luton, and, with no midweek fixture during what has been a congested schedule, this was a chance for supporters to see the team up close.

Simms in contention for return at Luton

Amid the excitement brought by young fans in attendance, there was some positive news on the injury front as striker Ellis Simms was involved in the full session.

The striker has missed seven Championship matches after sustaining ligament damage in his toe at Reading over a month ago, but has been stepping up his recovery in recent weeks.

Head coach Tony Mowbray has said the club won’t rush the Everton loanee back too soon but also admitted Simms could be part of the squad at Luton.

The striker scored three times in eight Championship appearances before his injury setback.

Max Thompson involved

Simms’ availability would be a big boost for Sunderland and, with Ross Stewart still sidelined with a thigh injury, the Black Cats’ lack of strikers has been well documented.

In the under-21s set-up centre-forward Max Thompson, 20, has impressed, scoring five goals in five league games, yet Mowbray hasn’t felt he’s quite ready for a senior call-up.

Thompson was involved in the session at the Stadium of Light, though, as the first-team coaches took a closer look at the youngster.

Other injury news

Still, while there were some noticeable inclusions, there were also some notable absentees.

Patrick Roberts missed Saturday’s defeat against Burnley with a knock and didn’t take part in the training session.

Lynden Gooch has also missed the side’s last two matches with a foot issue and wasn’t on the grass with the rest of the squad.

Dan Ballard and Niall Huggins weren’t involved either, despite stepping up their recoveries from injury setbacks in recent weeks.

Dodds and Proctor lead the session

On the pitch, Sunderland are managing a busy schedule, with just four games remaining until the World Cup break.

With that in mind Mowbray will want to keep his players fresh rather than overworking them between matches.

Their appearance in front of the fans included a few passing drills and smaller training games to keep the squad sharp.

First-team coaches Mike Dodds and Michael Proctor took most parts of the session, with Mowbray and assistant Mark Venus observing proceedings and passing on advice.

Mowbray thanks the fans

Mowbray was also given the chance to thank fans over the microphone.

Sunderland’s players were also grateful for the support and stayed back to take selfies, sign autographs and show their appreciation when training had concluded.

The Black Cats have one more home game before the World Cup break with a game against Cardiff on Saturday, November 5.

Sunderland will also travel to Huddersfield and Birmingham before the World Cup starts.