Sunderland AFC headlines: Ross Stewart fitness update as ex-Newcastle owner buys Coventry City’s home stadium

And boss Tony Mowbray is looking forward to welcoming Ross Stewart back into the squad after the World Cup break.

In an exclusive interview with the Echo, Stewart said his rehab is “bang on schedule”.

He reflected on his time on Wearside in the exclusive interview with Phil Smith, which you can read here:

“It's one of them when you look back at the last 18-months, when you move down here it's everything I made that move for in terms of what it's given me as a player,” he explains.

“The first six months was a bit stop-start but from that first game of the next season, I feel like I took to it really well and was enjoying my football and everything that came with it.

“I don't get much time to reflect and to be honest I'm not big on that, I like just to focus on what's next but you do get these wee points where you reflect on the rollercoaster you've been on, and how far you've maybe jumped in such a short space of time. It's been such a positive time in terms of what it's done for my career.

"I'm at a good age now and a good level, and for me it's about trying to maintain that now if not kick on again. I've gone up through the leagues in Scotland, I've come down here and moved up from League One to the Champ - hopefully I can establish myself as a good player at this level and then maybe the next step somewhere in the future is to go up to the Prem, wherever that may be, I would love to test myself. It's an exciting time for me, especially with so many games on the horizon.”

Former Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley has completed the purchase of Coventry City’s home stadium the CBS Arena.

Over a year has passed since Ashley sold Newcastle to a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund for £305million. In recent weeks, Ashley has reportedly expressed an interest in buying Coventry City.

Earlier this month, Ashley was reported to be close to purchasing Coventry’s home ground, The CBS Arena, having agreed an eight-figure sum for the 32,609-seater stadium. The stadium’s owners, Wasps Rugby Club, entered administration in October.

Ashley’s exclusivity to buy the stadium expired on Thursday, November 17 – the same day as the CBS Arena insolvency heading at the Business and Insolvency Court in London.

Following the hearing, Ashley's Frasers Group completed the purchase of the CBS Arena.

The former Magpies owner has also been linked with a full takeover of Coventry City in the event he purchased the stadium.

Blow for Costa Rica and Jewison Bennette

Costa Rica’s World Cup preparations have been hit after a passport issue caused a friendly with Iraq to be cancelled.

Sunderland have two representatives away in Qatar for the World Cup, with defender Bailey Wright and forward Jewison Bennette representing Australia and Costa Rica respectively.

But Bennette and his Costa Rican teammates were left frustrated after a late change in plans.

The Costa Rican federation said in a statement. “The match against Iraq was suspended.

“An agreement that was made with the non-stamping of passports was not respected and for this reason it was decided not to enter Iraq and cancel the match,” added the statement.

The Daily Mail report: “There was a concern that the Iraqi passport stamp would cause difficulties in accessing other countries in the future.”