Régis Le Bris issues Sunderland injury update with Jobe Bellingham latest ahead of Luton Town clash

Régis Le Bris has confirmed that Jobe Bellingham is set to return to the Sunderland side when Luton Town visit the Stadium of Light on Wednesday night.

Bellingham was a surprise absentee on Saturday as Sunderland were held to a 2-2 draw by Watford, with Le Bris confirming afterwards that he had been missing with an ankle injury. Bellingham has been passed fit for Wednesday night’s crucial game, and while he was a big miss on Saturday, Le Bris remains confident that the extra minutes for Salis Abdul Samed will be beneficial for the team in a long run.

"He will be OK for tomorrow,” Le Bris said.

“It will be a boost because we need our big players, but we have said that before that we need depth in the squad. To be competitive in this league we need everyone.

With more depth in our squad it is possible to manage games differently. Jobe and Chris for example played so many games, they were tired sometimes but had to play. Now we have the option to change things after 65 minutes, with a fresh player ready to play with intensity.”

Le Bris also confirmed that Alan Browne is very close to a return, with the Irish midfielder set to play for the U21s on Tuesday night. Romaine Mundle and Tommy Watson are also closing in on a return.

"Alan is very close, which is good news for us,” Le Bris said.

“We need his experience in the dressing room. When a player is missing, you understand how important they are. Touch wood, we are very close to having a full squad. Another two or three weeks, we could have a full squad.

“Romaine is training fully with the team, Tommy will need one more week to be in contact training with the team.”

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