Sunderland boss discusses ex-Everton defender's progress and explains his big summer decision

Anderson signed from Everton in the January window as he bids to break through into senior football on a regular basis, and has thus far made one appearance from the bench at Millwall.

Though Dennis Cirkin and Lynden Gooch are back to strengthen Mowbray's options in defence, injuries to Aji Alese and Dan Ballard mean that Anderson is likely to be in the matchday squad both at Burnley on Friday night and then again over Easter weekend.

The 22-year-old is impressing Mowbray in training, but the head coach feels he still has progress to make in terms of his physical development.

"I want to try and use them all if I can, but we have to choose the right games," Mowbray said.

"Joe will be travelling with us, he's doing really well. He's training well and he's got a good personality. For me, he's a centre half in the same mould as players from my previous club like Scotty Wharton and Hayden Carter, young defenders that I sent out on loan to Portsmouth, Cambridge.. and then they came back and played in the first team every week.

"They go and grow that muscle, they get experience, they come back with a couple of tattoos... you know what I mean, they're turning into men.

"I'm not saying that's what we'll do with Joe, but if we get recruitment right and things are going OK through pre-season, we might have that discussion with him. See if he wants to go and play 25 games and then come back in the New Year and see where we feel he's at."

Mowbray is also hopeful that Niall Huggins will be able to play a part between now and the end of the season, having made his return in the U21s over the international break. Huggins is likely to play another U21s game before making his return to the senior squad.